Jasmine Paolini admitted that if anyone had told her two months ago she would be in the Wimbledon final, she would think they were “crazy”.
Paolini, the 28-year-old seventh seed, won a Centre Court classic of a semi-final against Donna Vekic 2-6 6-4 7-6 (10/8) after a nerve-shredding match tie-break.
At two hours and 51 minutes it was the longest women’s semi-final in Wimbledon history, and at the end of it Paolini became the first Italian woman to reach the final, where she will face Barbora Krejcikova.
It is a remarkable run from a player who had not won a Tour-level match on grass until 15 days ago, in Eastbourne, and had lost in the first round in her only previous three visits to SW19.
“You are crazy, I would say, yes,” she said. “Yeah, I don’t have words. Just, yeah, you are crazy.
“Two grand slam finals in a row was crazy to believe, I think, no? I’m also surprising how at the moment, until now in this moment, I’m living this.
“I feel maybe Saturday I will be so nervous, I don’t know. But I feel also relaxed. I’m the same person. I’m doing the same things. Yeah, I don’t know. I’m surprised a little bit how I’m managing this.
Paolini is the first woman to reach back-to-back Roland Garros and Wimbledon finals since Serena Williams in 2016.
Williams lost in Paris – just as Paolini did against Iga Swiatek – but then lifted the Venus Rosewater Dish after beating Angelique Kerber.
Unseeded Vekic, also 28, was playing in her first grand slam semi-final and was in tears at times during a deciding set of unimaginable twists and turns.
She led by a break in the deciding set and had further break points on the Paolini serve at 5-5.
But it was Paolini who took her third match point, and the first of the tie-break, to leave Vekic heartbroken.
“I thought I was going to die in the third set,” said the Croatian. “I had so much pain in my arm, in my leg. It was not easy out there, but I will recover.
“I was more crying because I had so much pain, I didn’t know how I could keep playing.”
“But it’s tough right now. It’s really tough. For sure I will need to take couple of days to see everything.
“Yeah, I don’t know, it’s tough to be positive right now. It was so close. I had a lot of chances.”