Jasmine Paolini’s US Open 2025 campaign ended with heartbreak as she fell to Marketa Vondrousova in straight sets. What could have been another breakthrough night for the Italian turned into a bitter lesson in missed opportunities. One forehand volley — easier to make than to miss — slipped away at the most crucial moment, and from there the match spiraled out of her control.
The Point That Changed Everything
Jasmine Paolini’s US Open dream ended in the second round, and the way it unraveled against Marketa Vondrousova leaves a bitter aftertaste. The Italian fell 7-6, 6-1 to the 2023 Wimbledon champion, undone less by the scoreline than by a single moment that flipped the match on its head.
At 5-4 in the first set, Paolini held a golden chance. A forehand volley — simple, almost routine — would have handed her set point. Instead, she pushed it wide. From that miss, the momentum swung sharply. Vondrousova pounced, taking the tiebreak 7-4 and racing through five straight games to break open the contest.
Vondrousova vs Paolini – Set 1 Stats
| Statistic | Vondrousova | Paolini |
|---|---|---|
| Dominance Ratio | 0.81 | 1.24 |
| Winners | 19 | 15 |
| Unforced Errors | 12 | 10 |
| Serve Rating | 287 | 299 |
| Aces | 5 | 1 |
| Double Faults | 3 | 0 |
| 1st Serve % | 73% (35/48) | 60% (21/35) |
| 1st Serve Points Won | 74% (26/35) | 81% (17/21) |
| 2nd Serve Points Won | 38% (5/13) | 57% (8/14) |
| Break Points Saved | 100% (2/2) | – (0/0) |
| Service Games | 100% (6/6) | 100% (6/6) |
| Ace % | 10.4% | 2.9% |
| Double Fault % | 6.3% | 0% |
| Return Rating | 62 | 88 |
| 1st Return Points Won | 19% (4/21) | 26% (9/35) |
| 2nd Return Points Won | 43% (6/14) | 62% (8/13) |
| Break Points Won | – (0/0) | 0% (0/2) |
| Return Games | 0% (0/6) | 0% (0/6) |
| Pressure Points | 100% (2/2) | 0% (0/2) |
| Service Points | 65% (31/48) | 71% (25/35) |
| Return Points | 29% (10/35) | 35% (17/48) |
| Net Points | 25% (1/4) | 75% (9/12) |
| Total Points | 49% (41/83) | 51% (42/83) |
| Max Points In A Row | 5 | 5 |
| Match Points Saved | 0 | 0 |
| Service Games Won | 100% (6/6) | 100% (6/6) |
| Return Games Won | 0% (0/6) | 0% (0/6) |
| Total Games Won | 50% (6/12) | 50% (6/12) |
| Max Games In A Row | 2 | 1 |
| Set Duration | 0h 53m | |
The key blow came at 3-1 in the second set. Paolini’s tentative forehand gifted the Czech triple break point, and a backhand error sealed the damage. Despite the encouragement of Sara Errani from her box, Paolini’s resistance slipped away. At 1-5, she lost serve again after a grueling 13-minute battle, her only two double faults of the match compounding the collapse. In just one hour and 28 minutes, Vondrousova had the victory in her grasp.
Vondrousova vs Paolini – Set 2 Stats
| Statistic | Vondrousova | Paolini |
|---|---|---|
| Dominance Ratio | 2.17 | 0.46 |
| Winners | 3 | 5 |
| Unforced Errors | 4 | 16 |
| Serve Rating | 307 | 191 |
| Aces | 1 | 0 |
| Double Faults | 1 | 2 |
| 1st Serve % | 52% (11/21) | 68% (21/31) |
| 1st Serve Points Won | 73% (8/11) | 52% (11/21) |
| 2nd Serve Points Won | 82% (9/11) | 40% (4/10) |
| Break Points Saved | – (0/0) | 75% (6/8) |
| Service Games | 100% (4/4) | 33% (1/3) |
| Ace % | 4.8% | 0% |
| Double Fault % | 4.8% | 6.5% |
| Return Rating | 200 | 45 |
| 1st Return Points Won | 48% (10/21) | 27% (3/11) |
| 2nd Return Points Won | 60% (6/10) | 18% (2/11) |
| Break Points Won | 25% (2/8) | – (0/0) |
| Return Games | 67% (2/3) | 0% (0/4) |
| Pressure Points | 25% (2/8) | 75% (6/8) |
| Service Points | 76% (16/21) | 48% (15/31) |
| Return Points | 52% (16/31) | 24% (5/21) |
| Net Points | 100% (2/2) | 57% (4/7) |
| Total Points | 62% (32/52) | 38% (20/52) |
| Max Points In A Row | 6 | 4 |
| Match Points Saved | 0 | 0 |
| Service Games Won | 100% (4/4) | 33% (1/3) |
| Return Games Won | 67% (2/3) | 0% (0/4) |
| Total Games Won | 86% (6/7) | 14% (1/7) |
| Max Games In A Row | 5 | 1 |
| Injury Timeouts | 0 | 0 |
| Set Duration | 0h 35m | |
Paolini Was In Excellent Form but..
For Paolini, the disappointment is heavy. She remains alive in doubles, but in singles the contrast between breakthrough highs and crushing setbacks continues to define her journey. This latest defeat will be hard to take: everything seemed to be going perfectly, with Sara Errani constantly in the box to fire her up. The New York crowd will miss her, as there was clearly some love in the air.
Marketa Vondrousova’s 2025 Season So Far: Highs and Lows
From January through August, Vondrousova’s 2025 season has been a mix of deep runs and early exits across different surfaces.
She began the year in Adelaide, winning her opener before retiring in the second round against Shnaider. In Abu Dhabi, she reached the quarterfinals with solid wins over Putintseva and Raducanu but fell to Bencic. Her Middle East swing continued with early losses in Doha and Dubai despite a strong win over Garcia.
She then did not compete, with no matches played in March or April.
On clay, she started well at Roland Garros, winning two matches before a third-round exit to Pegula. Grass season brought success in Berlin, where she reached the final with victories over Keys, Shnaider, Jabeur, and Sabalenka, before lifting the title against Wang. However, Wimbledon was a disappointment, losing in the second round to Raducanu.
Her hard-court summer showed mixed form: an opening loss in Montreal, a second-round loss in Cincinnati, but at the US Open, she advanced to the fourth round after wins over Selekhmeteva, Kessler, and Paolini before facing Rybakina.
Overall, her year has featured flashes of top-level tennis, highlighted by the Berlin title, but also inconsistency with several early-round defeats and a two-month competitive pause in the spring.
This time she looks ready and commited to go far at the US Open. Can she reach her third Grand Slam final?
Marketa Vondrousova – 2025 Season Results
| Month | Round | Tournament | Match | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug | R16 | US Open | Vondrousova vs Elena Rybakina (KAZ) | – |
| Aug | R32 | US Open | Vondrousova d. Jasmine Paolini (ITA) | 7-6(4) 6-1 |
| Aug | R64 | US Open | Vondrousova d. Mccartney Kessler (USA) | 7-6(7) 6-2 |
| Aug | R128 | US Open | Vondrousova d. Oksana Selekhmeteva (RUS) | 6-3 7-6(3) |
| Aug | R64 | Cincinnati | Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) d. Vondrousova | 7-5 6-1 |
| Aug | R128 | Cincinnati | Vondrousova d. Jaqueline Cristian (ROU) | 6-3 6-1 |
| Aug | R64 | Montreal | Marta Kostyuk (UKR) d. Vondrousova | 2-6 6-3 6-2 |
| Aug | R128 | Montreal | Vondrousova d. Alexandra Eala (PHI) | 3-6 6-1 6-2 |
| Jul | R64 | Wimbledon | Emma Raducanu d. Vondrousova | 6-3 6-3 (ch) |
| Jul | R128 | Wimbledon | Vondrousova d. Mccartney Kessler (USA) | 6-1 7-6(3) |
| Jun | F | Berlin | Vondrousova d. Xinyu Wang (CHN) | 7-6(10-8) 4-6 6-2 |
| Jun | SF | Berlin | Vondrousova d. Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) | 6-2 6-4 |
| Jun | QF | Berlin | Vondrousova d. Ons Jabeur (TUN) | 6-4 6-1 |
| Jun | R16 | Berlin | Vondrousova d. Diana Shnaider (RUS) | 6-3 6-7(3-7) 6-3 |
| Jun | R32 | Berlin | Vondrousova d. Madison Keys (USA) | 7-5 7-6(8-6) |
| May | R32 | Roland Garros | Jessica Pegula (USA) d. Vondrousova | 3-6 6-4 6-2 |
| May | R64 | Roland Garros | Vondrousova d. Magdalena Frech (POL) | 6-0 4-6 6-3 |
| May | R128 | Roland Garros | Vondrousova d. Oksana Selekhmeteva (RUS) | 6-4 6-4 |
| Mar-Apr | – | – | No games played | – |
| Feb | R32 | Dubai | Mirra Andreeva (RUS) d. Vondrousova | 7-5 6-0 |
| Feb | R64 | Dubai | Vondrousova d. Caroline Garcia (FRA) | 6-2 6-2 |
| Feb | R64 | Doha | Elina Svitolina (UKR) d. Vondrousova | 0-6 6-2 7-5 |
| Feb | QF | Abu Dhabi | Belinda Bencic (SUI) d. Vondrousova | 7-5 6-3 |
| Feb | R16 | Abu Dhabi | Vondrousova d. Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) | 6-2 6-3 |
| Feb | R32 | Abu Dhabi | Vondrousova d. Emma Raducanu (GBR) | 6-3 6-4 |
| Jan | R16 | Adelaide | Diana Shnaider (RUS) d. Vondrousova | 4-6 1-1 RET |
| Jan | R32 | Adelaide | Vondrousova d. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) | 6-4 6-7(4-7) 6-2 |