Jasmine Paolini grounds top seed Aryna Sabalenka in Indian Wells 

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Jasmine Paolini might stand at only 5’4”, but she always packs a punch. On Saturday, the diminutive Italian scored the biggest win of her career over No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka to reach the BNP Paribas Open third round.

Paolini had to come back from a set down as big-hitting Sabalenka made a strong start, but the world No. 3’s game quickly unraveled as Paolini began to apply pressure in the second and third sets. Paolini broke serve four times on her way to a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory, sealing her first Top 10 win.

“After the first set I didn't expect to win the match, but I tried just to be there every point, to not think about the score,” Paolini said. “I mean, the score was 6-2 for her. I wasn't even close to her.

“But then, point by point, I started to believe it. I started to hit the ball better, deeper on the court.”

It’s the latest milestone for the fast-rising 26-year-old, who made her Top 50 debut at the Australian Open and claimed her first WTA title last year in Portoroz. Paolini had been 0-3 against the tour’s Top 10 coming into the clash with Sabalenka—the top seed in the women’s draw after Ashleigh Barty and Barbora Krejcikova’s absence—but the Italian acquitted herself well by finding a way to exploit her opponent’s weaknesses.

Sabalenka’s service woes have been well-documented throughout her sluggish start to 2022, but the yips and double faults seemed largely behind her after reaching quarterfinals in Doha last month. In the Middle East, Sabalenka leaned on her big first serve and explosive baseline game to protect her vulnerable second serve.

It was a strategy that helped the second seed breeze through the opening set against Paolini, reeling off the last four games in a row. But Paolini adapted in the second and third sets, attacking early in the rallies and employing her aggressive game to bring Sabalenka out of her comfort zone.

The Belarusian responded by going even bigger on her own shots, but as that backfired her frustrations only grew—according to post-match stats, out of the 82 points that Paolini won, 63 of those were Sabalenka’s unforced errors, including 10 double faults. Paolini stayed rock-solid to close out the last two sets, clinching the victory in an hour and 47 minutes.

“Before, last year, I didn't believe that I could also play on hard courts. I was playing pretty well on clay courts, but I had difficulties on hard courts,” Paolini said after the match. “Now I think I believe that I can also play here.

“I think that's the key. More tournaments are on hard courts, I mean, instead of clay courts. I have more chances to do points. That gave me confidence during the year.”

Back into the third round for the second year in a row, Paolini awaits the winner of No. 31 seed Viktorija Golubic and Yulia Putintseva.