Paolini 🇮🇹 vs Ito 🇯🇵

🎾 Jasmine Paolini 🇮🇹 vs Aoi Ito 🇯🇵 – WTA Montreal R2 Preview

📅 National Bank Open · Outdoor Hard · Wednesday, July 31

🧠 Form & Context

Jasmine Paolini (WTA #9)

• 🌟 Top-10 surge: Claimed the Italian Open crown and reached semifinals in Miami, Stuttgart, and Bad Homburg this season.
• 🍃 Grass stumble: Fell in the 2nd round at Wimbledon, dropping valuable ranking points from her 2023 final.
• 🔄 Montreal return: Made her debut last year (R3 via walkover); returns as a top-10 seed seeking a deeper run.

Aoi Ito (WTA #110)

• 🚀 Qualifier momentum: Took down Sasnovich in qualifying and beat Volynets in R1—her fourth career tour-level win.
• 🎯 Breakthrough moment: Reached the Osaka semifinals last fall, defeating Kenin, Cocciaretto, and Lys.
• 🔥 Underdog spark: Riding confidence but has never beaten a top-30 opponent in her career.

🔍 Match Breakdown

• Baseline control: Paolini’s flat and powerful groundstrokes will pressure Ito’s court positioning.
• Serve test: Ito’s reliable first serve needs to hold up against Paolini’s aggressive return stance.
• Rally dynamics: Longer exchanges tilt in Paolini’s favor, but Ito can disrupt flow with spin and angle variation.
• Psychological factor: Paolini has poise in high-tier matches; Ito brings fearlessness but lacks big-stage experience.

🔮 Prediction

Jasmine Paolini’s top-10 form, tactical control, and experience should prove too steady for Ito, who may hang close early with aggressive shot-making. Expect Paolini to absorb the pressure and wear her opponent down with superior court coverage and baseline precision.

🧩 Prediction: Jasmine Paolini def. Aoi Ito – 6–4, 6–3