Jasmine Paolini entered the Canadian Open looking to bounce back from a poor Wimbledon campaign.
The Italian reached the final at the All-England Club in 2024, but Paolini suffered a shock second-round loss at Wimbledon this season.
She squandered a one-set lead in that match and the same thing occurred in Montreal when Paolini took on qualifier Aoi Ito.
The Italian was the heavy favourite going into the match and she opened up a commanding lead, but Ito had other ideas.
Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesJasmine Paolini suffers shock defeat at the Canadian Open and set a record in the process
Jasmine Paolini opened up a 6-2, 4-1 lead against Ito and looked to be cruising into the next round.
But the 2024 French Open and Wimbledon runner-up relinquished control of the match as Ito grew in confidence and began putting more balls into the court and began playing tricky slice shots which forced Paolini off balance.
Paolini began to hit an avalanche of unforced errors but despite her inconsistent game, she earned a match point while leading 5-4, but she was unable to capitalise.
The contest was decided by a final set tiebreak and it was Ito who prevailed and sealed a 2-6, 7-5, 7-6 victory in two hours and 27 minutes.
Paolini hit 67 unforced errors during the match, which is her highest number for a WTA Tour match this season. This is now her second successive loss and she took to social media platform X to react to the news.
“Didn’t have it today, but the work goes on,” Paolini said, as she looks ahead to her next tournament, the Cincinnati Masters.
Photo by Robert Prange/Getty ImagesAoi Ito secures first career top 10 by beating Jasmine Paolini in Montreal
There were eight breaks of serve in the third set between Ito and Paolini, but Ito outlasted her opponent and achieved something for the first time.
She registered her first career win over a top 10 player and the Japanese’s fine tournament continues.
The 21-year-old successfully qualified for the main draw and after beating Paolini she will now face Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.
She now has two WTA 1000 main draw appearances to her name, having had none before arriving in Canada. Ito will hope to add to that tally when she takes to the court again on Thursday.