MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Jasmine Paolini is headed to the Miami Open semifinals for the first time.
The sixth-seeded Paolini defeated unseeded Magda Linette of Poland 6-3, 6-2 on Tuesday, becoming the first woman entrant into the tournament's final four this year.
"It feels great, of course, I'm really happy," Paolini said in her postmatch media availability. "Today was a really good match, and I just enjoyed being on the court, and I'm happy with the result I had."
Paolini is the first Italian woman to make the semifinals at Miami. There were six instances of Italian women making the quarterfinals there, most recently Martina Trevisan in 2023.
"It's amazing for Italy," Paolini said, when asked about the recent surge in successful players from her country. "Tennis is growing up a lot. We are believing more that we can have big results because you see other players doing it."
Paolini will face top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals. Sabalenka, the second entrant into the final four, topped ninth-seeded Qinwen Zheng of China 6-2, 7-5 in their quarterfinal match Tuesday night, capping a day where rain postponed many matches by several hours.
"I was just trying to save the break points, it's really important on a fast court, and to try to serve better on the important points," Paolini said of her strategy in South Florida, and what she can focus on against Sabalenka. "But sometimes, I have to be more consistent."
The other side of the women's bracket is set for quarterfinal matches Wednesday, with fourth-seeded Jessica Pegula of the U.S. taking on Britain's Emma Raducanu and second-seeded Iga Swiatek facing Alexandra Eala of the Philippines.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.