Jasmine Paolini beat Croatian Donna
Vekic 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 in an epic contest on Thursday to become the
first Italian to reach the final of the Wimbledon women's
singles.
It is a second consecutive Grand Slam final for the 28-year-old
late bloomer after she also made the final of the French Open.
The Tuscan player had already made history by becoming the first
Italian woman to reach the semi-finals of Wimbledon.
She showed remarkable character to come back from a set down on
Thursday, having looked outgunned at several moments during the
clash, and to not despair after failing to take a match point on
Vekic's serve when she was 5-4 up in the final set.
"I really had a hard time, but I kept saying to myself, fight
for every ball," Paolini said.
"I'm really happy. I'll remember this match for ever.
"I tired to focus on what I had to do on court.
"There's no better place to fight for every ball.
"It was beautiful to play in front of you.
"This is a wonderful place for a tennis player.
"Thank you for supporting me".
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