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    WTA Finals: The High-Energy Jasmine Paolini Has Broken Through

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    The player from Italy reached the finals this year at the French Open and Wimbledon. Now she has qualified for the WTA Finals for the first time.Jasmine Paolini was laughing, something she does loudly and often.Paolini had just explained that the WTA Finals she most vividly remembered watching on television was one featuring Dominika Cibulkova, who captured the title in 2016. She didn’t know why she picked that one over victories by more well-known winners like Serena Williams and Ashleigh Barty.“It was unbelievable,” Paolini, of Italy, said of Cibulkova’s win over top-seeded Angelique Kerber by phone from Shanghai in late September. Then she let out a guffaw so alluring that others often can’t help joining in.Paolini uses the words “unbelievable” and “crazy” a lot, but mostly to describe her own journey this year. At 28, she has qualified for her first WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. She and her compatriot Sara Errani have also qualified in doubles, making Paolini the only competitor in both singles and doubles.“It’s a very elite club,” Paolini said. “It’s really our reward for the season, so it is great to qualify.”Paolini began the year ranked No. 29. Four years ago, she was a little-known sprite barely ranked in the top 100. But a WTA 1000 title in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in February followed by surprise runner-up finishes to Iga Swiatek at the French Open and to Barbora Krejcikova at Wimbledon thrust her into the spotlight. Now she’s ranked No. 4.During her matches, Paolini is known to shout “Forza,” which translates to “Let’s go” in English.Matthew Stockman/Getty ImagesWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      The NYC Restaurant Where Italian U.S. Open Players Go Between Matches

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      A Manhattan trattoria has become the de facto lounge for Italians at the U.S. Open.The Wimbledon semifinalist from Carrara sat in the bar area with his family. The 69th ranked women’s player, a hard-charging right-hander from Rimini, ate in the main dining room with friends. Out in the back garden, the 31st best men’s player in the world, a rising star from Rome, chowed down with his team.It was Saturday night before the start of the U.S. Open, and Via Della Pace, an East Village trattoria, was buzzing. Three of Italy’s best tennis players — Lorenzo Musetti, Lucia Bronzetti and Flavio Cobolli — were dotted around the space, enjoying a relaxing evening at what has become the Italian players’ cafeteria and lounge each year during the U.S. Open.“It’s beautiful place for us to come,” said Mr. Cobolli, decked out in a crisp blue dinner jacket with a bright white polo shirt underneath. “We always have a table and we eat well, with real Italian pasta.”Players from other countries also find their spots in New York during the Open. Some French players frequent Le Baratin in the West Village, while others visit Tao’s various locations or the Odeon. But for the Italians, it’s Via Della Pace, where Italian films are shown in silence on the TV behind the bar and memorabilia of calcio (soccer) and tennis adorn the walls.Flavio Cobolli, far left, chats with one of Via Della Pace’s owners, Giovanni Bartocci, standing, during dinner with his team and family.Adrienne Grunwald for The New York TimesOn any given night during the three weeks of the Open — including a week of practice — there could be as many as five Italian players in the joint, sometimes more, in addition to coaches, agents, friends and family. Matteo Berrettini, who reached the Open semifinal in 2019, fueled up on Via Della Pace’s pasta, is a regular. He sometimes goes several nights in a row.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More