Collins shared that she has been putting significant effort into refining her game off the court, and that she’s relieved to see it pay off

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.

When the sun rose Saturday morning, Italy hadn’t had an Italian Open champion in 40 years. By nightfall, it had one. In 24 hours, it might have two. Jasmine Paolini, an irrepressible 29-year-old on a run for more than a year now,

Jasmine Paolini beat Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-2 in the Italian Open women’s singles final on Saturday to become the first Italian player to win the tournament in 40 years, before repeating the feat in the doubles final on Sunday.

Top-ranked Jannik Sinner is dominating men’s tennis and Italy swept both the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup team titles last year.

Jasmine Paolini became the first Italian woman to win the Italian Open in 40 years when she beat American world number three Coco Gauff 6-4 6-2 in the final on Saturday.

In a delightfully human moment, Paolini struggled to pop the cork. Her first try failed, then her second attempt didn’t work either