No.5 seed Jasmine Paolini has become one of only two players to make the second week of every Grand Slam in 2024 after defeating Yulia Putintseva 6-3, 6-4 in the US Open third round.

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Paolini had never gone beyond the second round of a Grand Slam prior to this year, but 2024 has seen her make the fourth round at the Australian Open, followed by her first two Grand Slam finals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. The only other player who has accomplished the set of Slam second-week showings in 2024 is Coco Gauff, who was a semifinalist at the Australian Open and Roland Garros, then made the fourth round at Wimbledon. 

Paolini is also the only Italian player in the Open Era to have reached the second week of each Slam in a single season. She will next face 2023 US Open semifinalist Karolina Muchova, who defeated Anastasia Potapova 6-4, 6-2; Muchova has won all three of their previous encounters, including in 2018 US Open qualifying, but they have not played since January 2021.

Three years ago, Paolini defeated Putintseva in a high-quality 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 barnburner in the 2021 Portoroz semifinals, going on to lift her first Hologic WTA Tour trophy. The Kazakhstani has also been in fine form this year, notching wins over World No.1 Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon and then-No.2 Gauff in Cincinnati. But the rematch with Paolini was defined by the Italian's many improvements in the intervening period.

Holding her aggressive position on the baseline and coming forwards whenever possible, Paolini found 22 winners to Putintseva's 16, and won 12 of her 19 points at net. In the first set, Putintseva played her best tennis of the day, coming up with creative patterns -- a short forehand slice followed by a lob; a classic drop shot, lob and backhand winner -- to keep within touch of Paolini.

But Paolini was able to finish points on her own terms while playing within herself. Despite losing serve twice from a break up, after capturing the Putintseva serve for a third time she served the set out with minimal fuss.

In the second set, aggressive returning saw her grab an early break for 2-1. It would prove decisive: Paolini saved the only two break points she faced in the set with unreturned serves, and converted her first match point as a Putintseva drop shot drifted wide.

Shnaider reaches Grand Slam fourth round for first time

Louis Armstrong Stadium hosted an Italian special on Saturday as Paolini was followed by 2012 semifinalist Sara Errani, with whom she had won the doubles gold medal at the Paris Olympic Games a month ago. Errani and Paolini had defeated the youthful pair of Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider in the Olympic final -- but here, Shnaider demonstrated that a hard court for singles is a very different ball game, turning the tables on Errani 6-2, 6-2.

Errani, 37, was intermittently able to delight the crowd with her touch and tactical acumen, and won 11 of 14 points at net. But the points she controlled barely put a dent in Shnaider's phenomenal ball-striking. The 20-year-old No.18 seed slammed 31 winners, of which 21 came on her lethal left-handed forehand.

Shnaider has now won 22 of her past 26 matches stretching back to June, a run that includes her second career title (Bad Homburg on grass), third career title (Budapest on clay) and a first WTA 1000 semifinal run in Toronto. Ranked No.108 in January, she has rocketed into the Top 20. A deep run at a major was one of the only achievements missing from her 2024 resume. Shnaider has accomplished that now, and will take on No.6 seed Jessica Pegula in a rematch of the Toronto semifinals as she bids to go even deeper.