Paolini beats Gauff to become first home player in 40 years to win the Italian Open

ROME (AP) — Jasmine Paolini got the party started at the Foro Italico. And now the stage is set for Jannik Sinner to cap it off.

Paolini took advantage of the crowd’s support and beat Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-2 to become the first home player to win the Italian Open in 40 years on Saturday.

With the top-ranked Sinner to play Carlos Alcaraz in the men’s final on Sunday, Italy could earn its first sweep of the Rome singles titles.

The last Italian woman to win the open was Raffaella Reggi in 1985 in Taranto. The last local man to raise the trophy was Adriano Panatta in 1976.

When Paolini hit a big serve down the T on her second championship point and Gauff couldn’t get it back, she celebrated with a big smile and raised her arms as she spun around in joy.

“It doesn’t seem real to me," Paolini said. "I came here as a kid to see this tournament but winning it and holding up this trophy wasn’t even in my dreams.”

Before the trophy ceremony, the crowd chanted “Ole, ole, ole, Jas-mine, Jas-mine,” and Paolini responded by forming her hands into a heart shape.

“The crowd has been incredible,” she said.

Paolini and partner Sara Errani are also in the women’s doubles final and will play Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens for that trophy, too, on Sunday.

“It’s been two incredible weeks and it’s not finished yet,” Paolini said.

With the country’s tennis boom in full force, Italy President Sergio Mattarella attended the women’s final on Campo Centrale.

Numerous fans held aloft Italian flags and they constantly shouted “Vai Jasmine” (“Go Jasmine”).

The fifth-ranked Paolini was the runner-up at the French Open and Wimbledon and led Italy to the Billie Jean King Cup title last year. She and Errani also won gold in doubles at the Paris Olympics.

Paolini will move up to No. 4 in the rankings on Monday, which will improve her position in the draw for the French Open starting next weekend.

At age 29, Paolini is achieving much more than she did earlier in her career.

“I played her a long time ago in Adelaide,” Gauff said, referring to a match that the American won in 2021. “I remember her playing a little bit more of a passive game style. Now she’s more aggressive.”

Indeed, despite her height of 5-foot-4 (1.63 meters), Paolini is able to produce powerful groundstrokes and she often outhit Gauff.

“Today was my best match of the week,” she said, “and I needed that to beat Gauff.”

Despite her success last year, Paolini recently made a coaching change and replaced Renzo Furlan with Marc Lopez. Errani is also almost always with her, too, and acts as an unofficial coach.

“She is capable of playing top-two, No. 1-in-the-world tennis,” Gauff said.

Gauff, the 2023 U.S. Open champion who was ranked No. 3, made a whopping 55 unforced errors to Paolini’s 20 and hit seven double faults to Paolini’s none.

“Maybe I could have served better and put more balls in the court,” Gauff said. “I definitely could and can. But she played to win today and she deserved to win. … With the double-faults, it’s something I know I have to improve.”

It’s the second time in two clay-court tournaments that Gauff has finished runner-up. She lost the Madrid Open final two weeks ago to Aryna Sabalenka.

Gauff was coming off the longest match of her career, a 3 1/2-hour victory over Zheng Qinwen in the semifinals that ended in the early Friday morning.

Paolini also beat Gauff at a clay-court event in Stuttgart, Germany, in April.

Monica Seles in 1990 was the last woman to sweep Rome’s singles and doubles titles in the same year.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Jasmine Paolini of Italy, reacts after winning the Italian Open tennis tournament at the Foro Italico in Rome, Saturday, May 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Jasmine Paolini of Italy, eyes on the ball during a final tennis match against Coco Gauff of the United States in the Italian Open at the Foro Italico in Rome, Saturday, May 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Italy's President Sergio Mattarella, center, attends the Italian Open tennis final match between Coco Gauff of the United States and Jasmine Paolini of Italy at the Foro Italico, in Rome, Saturday, May 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Coco Gauff of the United States, reacts after losing a point to Jasmine Paolini of Italy during their final tennis match in the Italian Open at the Foro Italico in Rome, Saturday, May 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Jasmine Paolini of Italy, kisses the trophy after winning the Italian Open tennis tournament at the Foro Italico in Rome, Saturday, May 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Jasmine Paolini, of Italy, reacts to defeating Coco Gauff, of the United States, at the end of their Italian Open tennis match final, at the Foro Italico in Rome, Saturday, May 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

For a third consecutive year, there is no clear choice for the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP, and again the debate over the importance of “valuable” comes into play.

Edmonton’s Connor McDavid is on track to win the scoring race for the most points and the Art Ross Trophy, while Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon has the inside track for the league lead in goals. Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov is more than 40 points clear of his next-closest teammate and could be a Hart finalist for a second consecutive year.

AP Hockey Writers John Wawrow and Stephen Whyno give their predictions on who should take home all the major awards, which are based on how players performed during the regular season:

BetMGM Sportsbook favorite: Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado

Wawrow: Nikita Kucherov. As much as McDavid and MacKinnon deserve consideration, and maybe Montreal's Nick Suzuki merits mention, Kucherov did more with less on a Tampa Bay team that proved immune to the shakeup that turned the Atlantic Division upside down.

Whyno: McDavid. There's an argument to be made for Kucherov, given where the Lightning could be without him after a season full of injuries. But McDavid carried the Oilers down the stretch after Leon Draisaitl got injured, and he should add a fourth MVP honor to his impressive resume that is missing only the Stanley Cup.

BetMGM Sportsbook favorite: Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay

Wawrow: Vasilevskiy. The numbers simply speak for themselves. Leading the league with 39 wins, no goalie had a better goals-against average and save percentage playing 50 or more games this season.

Whyno: Vasilevskiy. John and I are on the same wavelength here. With a nod to Utah's Karel Vejmelka for making more than 60 starts, no one has mixed a heavy workload with quality of play like Vasilevskiy, who has made the Cup Final four times, won it twice, but only won the Vezina once (2019).

BetMGM Sportsbook favorite: Zach Werenski, Columbus

Wawrow: Cale Makar, Colorado. A case could be made for Werenski over a ton of talent such as Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin and Minnesota’s Quinn Hughes. Makar, however, stands out for once again being the NHL’s most complete defenseman.

Whyno: Makar. Had Werenski on top for much of the year, but it was a rough second half for the 28-year-old since the Olympic break. Dallas' Miro Heiskanen deserves consideration, but Makar controlled the play for Colorado and only missed a handful of games because of injury.

BetMGM Sportsbook favorite: Matthew Schaefer, New York Islanders (off the board)

Wawrow: Schaefer. Montreal’s Ivan Demidov and Anaheim’s Beckett Sennecke might have more points, but no rookie played more valuable minutes than Schaefer, justifying his selection as a No. 1 pick.

Whyno: Schaefer could be unanimous. Even some of the best defensemen of this generation needed years to adapt to the learning curve at the position, and Schaefer did it perfectly at 18.

BetMGM Sportsbook favorite: N/A

Wawrow: Nick Suzuki, Montreal. With Aleksander Barkov injured, the field was wide open and Suzuki may run away with the honor. Though he is a secondary figure on the Canadiens' penalty kill, his 5-on-5 numbers and puck-possession metrics, while facing opposing top lines, are solid.

Whyno: Jordan Staal, Carolina. The team captain has consistently drawn tough defensive matchups and dominated on faceoffs and has only once been a Selke finalist. This should be his year.

BetMGM Sportsbook favorite: Lindy Ruff, Buffalo

Wawrow: Ruff. He found the elusive key to finally unlock the potential of a team that too often faltered under pressure, carrying over the lessons learned from his first season back in Buffalo. He did so with a game-at-a-time focus, a changing lineup and being Buffalo’s first coach during the team’s 14-season playoff drought to finally place an emphasis on improving locker room culture.

Whyno: Jon Cooper, Tampa Bay. Injuries and extended absences to key players, including Victor Hedman, Brayden Point, Anthony Cirelli and Ryan McDonagh, led the Lightning to dress 33 skaters and three goalies and showcased why Cooper is considered among the best in the business.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

FILE - Edmonton Oilers hockey player Connor McDavid poses with the Ted Lindsey Award, the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy, the Art Ross Trophy and the Hart Memorial Trophy at the NHL Awards, on June 26, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)

FILE - Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon stands with his trophies as the recipient of the Hart Memorial Trophy, left, and Ted Lindsay Award at hockey's NHL Awards, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/L.E. Baskow, File)

FILE - Tampa Bay Lightning's Nikita Kucherov poses with, from left, the Ted Lindsay Award, Hart Memorial Trophy and the Art Ross Trophy after winning the honors at the NHL Awards, onJune 19, 2019, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)