Paolini rallies back to secure round 3 spot against Tauson

No. 3 seed Jasmine Paolini of Italy rallied back against No. 72 Clara Tauson of Denmark to win 1-6, 7-5, 6-4 and advance to the third round of the China Open on Saturday.

After Paolini gave away her first service game, Tauson was on a roll. She was a hard hitter, and leveraged a master serve with 4 aces in the opening set. Paolini struggled to keep up, repeatedly making unforced errors. Tauson had complete control in the first set.

In the second set, Paolini had a burst of aggressive energy that sparked her play. She started the second set taking a 5-1 lead. In Game 7, Tauson rallied back, winning four games in a row and leveling the set at 5-5. Paolini lost her aggressive edge during Tauson’s run, but found her footing again after breaking Tauson’s serve in the 11^th game. She then served out the set.

In the third set, Tauson continued to have control. The two held their serves for the first eight games. In the ninth game Paolini managed to break Tauson’s serve, putting her ahead 5-4.  Paolini closed out the match by holding at 40-15.

For the second year in a row Paolini will play in the 3^rd round, where she exited a year ago. Paolini will face Magda Linette of Poland on Monday.

—Reporting by CJ Christy