‘Most challenging match in my entire career’ – Jasmine Paolini after losing to Iga Swiatek in French Open 2024 final

Jasmine Paolini made her maiden appearance in a Grand Slam final and described it as the "most challenging match" she has played in her entire career. Following her impressive run to the knockouts, the ultimate stage was set for Paolini to battle it out against World No. 1 Iga Swiatek.

However, the Italian was completely outclassed by Swiatek as the Polish professional cruised to an emphatic 6-2, 6-1 victory in Paris on Saturday. It was the 23-year-old's fourth Roland Garros title and third in a row. The one-sided encounter ended in one hour and eight minutes at Court Philippe-Chatrier.

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Speaking after the match, Paolini heaped massive praise on Swiatek, saying, “She is an unbelievable player”. The 12th seed also admitted that this was the most challenging game of her career.

“She's playing unbelievably here. She's taking the balls early. She can defend really, really well. On clay, she's unbelievable. Also, on a hard court, come on, she won so many tournaments this year. But I think to play her here is something different,” Paolini said at her post-match press conference.

“She has already won four titles, and she's still 22 years old. These numbers are not normal; they are something unbelievable. Yeah, I think she's an unbelievable player. I think it was the most challenging match I played in my entire career,” she added.

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Paolini wishes to play more against Swiatek

Paolini has been impressive throughout the season, with her quarter-final win over World No. 4 Elena Rybakina the highlight of all. Following the loss in the summit clash, Paolini said she wanted to play more against Swiatek as she felt it would help her improve the game.

“I think that my goal right now is to try to keep this level, to play against Iga one more time,” she said.

“I don't know where. It can be the second round, or it can be the first round. I don't care. I think playing against her can give me something to add things to my game. It's challenging, but at the same time, I can understand more about what I have to improve, and what I have to add to my game.

“I am enjoying the moment. I love to play at this level with those players. I played [Elena] Rybakina, who is world No. 4. I played Iga, who is World No. 1,” Paolini concluded.