By Tony Fairbairn
- Coco Gauff [4] v Qinwen Zheng [8]
- Jasmine Paolini [6] v Peyton Stearns
ROME, ITALY – Coco Gauff aims to take advantage of a big opportunity as she continues her bid for Roland Garros momentum against Qinwen Zheng in the Rome semi-finals.
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Coco Gauff [4] v Qinwen Zheng [8] | H2H: Gauff leads 2-0
There is no stopping Coco Gauff as the American once again defeated Mirra Andreeva securing her place in another Rome semi-final. Confidence is high for Gauff who has backed up her run to the final in Madrid last week and will now aim to reach a second consecutive final, therefore continuing to build momentum towards Roland Garros. Standing in Gauff’s way is Qinwen Zheng after the eighth seed finally defeated Aryna Sabalenka, ending a six match losing streak against the world number one.
H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Coco Gauff [4] v Qinwen Zheng [8] | H2H: Gauff leads 2-0 |
| Rome 2025 | Rome, Italy |
| Clay (O) | Prize Money: €240,380 |
| Fourth on Campo Centrale (Not before 19:30 BST) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
After an underwhelming start to the season by her standards Gauff is now starting to find her confidence with back-to-back WTA 1000 semi-finals.
The American is into her third semi-final in Rome but will now hope to reach her first final in the Italian city as this is an opportunity to send a statement to the rest of the field this week.
Next up for Gauff is Zheng who proved that nobody beats her seven times in a row with victory over Sabalenka.
After struggling this season, the Chinese number one may have produced the result that will inspire her form for the rest of the season as she will soon return to the venue where she won Olympic gold.
Ahead of the semi-finals Gauff reflected on her winning run and dismissed any statistics that surround her latest win streak as she is focused on the task ahead.
“I’m feeling really good — and I feel I have a lot to improve on, too,” Gauff told the WTA website.
“When you’re winning matches and you still feel like you have a whole ceiling to reach, it just makes you feel good. Whenever you’re in these interviews [hearing the accolades], it makes me feel good about myself. But, yeah, for me it’s just trying to improve each year.
“I’ve lost in the semis here a few times, so I’m hoping to get through to the final stage.”
Meanwhile Zheng said that facing Sabalenka on clay gave her an edge as she finally defeated the world number one on her seventh attempt.
“This is the first time we play on clay. I guess when I play on clay, I’m more comfortable because I got great experience on clay,” Zheng explained to the WTA website.
“During all this time I’m trying to beat her on court. Sometimes I’m really close, but it’s just I never make it before. [I was] more patient than her.
“I’m just happy with my performance and happy to make the step forward to beat the World No. 1.”
Gauff will need to be aggressive on serve as she will continue to use the forehand to dictate play from the baseline.
Meanwhile Zheng will be aggressive on the backhand side as she will use variety on serve to throw Gauff off her game.
This will be a high quality contest between two confident players as Zheng aims to stop another head-to-head losing streak.
However, it is tough to predict against Gauff at the moment as the American bids for a second consecutive WTA 1000 final.
Prediction: Gauff in three sets.
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Jasmine Paolini [6] v Peyton Stearns | H2H: First Meeting
There is nothing like a bit of home support to elevate your game and that is what Jasmine Paolini is experiencing in Rome. The run to the semi-finals comes as a boost to Paolini who has final points to defend at Roland Garros and now bids for a second WTA 1000 title. Standing in the Italian’s way of a final on home soil is Peyton Stearns who made history in her quarter-final against Elina Svitolina by becoming the first person to win three consecutive third set tiebreakers.
H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Jasmine Paolini [6] v Peyton Stearns | H2H: First Meeting |
| Rome 2025 | Rome, Italy |
| Clay (O) | Prize Money: €240,380 |
| Second on Campo Centrale (Not before 14:00 BST) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
After an erratic season, Paolini has rejuvenated her form and confidence in front of her home crowd to reach the final in Rome.
Now the Italian will look to claim a second WTA 1000 title this week as she strives for more success ahead of defending final points from last year’s Roland Garros.
Stopping Paolini from reaching the final is Stearns who has had an extraordinary week with the American winning three consecutive final set tiebreaks.
The American will look to fulfil her potential and break new ground in Italy in what has been an extraordinary tournament for her.
After her quarter-final win over Diana Shnaider, Paolini hailed the home crowd for lifting her when she needed it most.
“It was really tough match,” Paolini told the WTA website.
“I’m really happy that I get through. But was a roller coaster. Point by point, point after point, I found a way — I fought until the end. The crowd, of course, helped me. So I’m really happy with the win.”
Meanwhile Stearns claimed she won’t be intimidated by the hostile environment she will face in the final four.
“I don’t expect many people to be cheering for me,” Stearns emphasised to the WTA website.
“But that’s OK, I played college tennis so … I’m used to it.”
Paolini will aim to be aggressive from the baseline and will use variety to mix up the pace of the rallies.
Meanwhile Stearns will serve aggressively and look to come to the net to finish off the points when possible.
This will be a great match between two players who have had to dig deep to reach the semi-finals.
The crowd will lift Paolini’s energy levels when it’s needed most in order to reach her second final at WTA 1000 level.
Prediction: Paolini in three sets.
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