Jasmine Paolini and Katie Boulter had previously split their four meetings equally, with two wins apiece. However, in their first match on clay, Paolini`s superiority was clear. The No. 6 seed needed exactly one hour to confidently advance to the third round of the Mutua Madrid Open, defeating her opponent 6-1, 6-2.
Paolini, last year`s Roland Garros finalist, started the match strongly, quickly taking a two-game lead with five clean winners. Boulter, whose first-round win over Katerina Siniakova was her first career tour-level victory on clay, managed to get one game back after a superb rally, ending with her own backhand winner.
But that was arguably the only highlight for Boulter. Paolini then won nine consecutive games, giving her opponent no further opportunities. She employed powerful forehand strokes and subtle drop shots that clearly troubled Boulter`s movement on the court. In the second set, Paolini lost just four points in the first five games.
The Briton increasingly lost control of her shots, accumulating a total of 21 unforced errors. Leading 5-0, Paolini briefly lost focus with a couple of double faults, allowing Boulter to get two games on the board. However, it wasn`t enough; the Italian confidently served out the match on her second attempt.
Paolini, whose best result in Madrid to date was reaching the fourth round last year, will aim to repeat that achievement in her next match against either No. 29 seed Magda Linette or Maria Sakkari.
