Paolini into first Wimbledon final with victory over tearful Vekic

Italy’s Jasmine Paolini reached her first Wimbledon final with a stirring fightback to beat tearful Croatian Donna Vekic 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (10/8) on Thursday.

Paolini had never won a main draw match at Wimbledon before this year, but the world number seven tenaciously saw off Vekic on Centre Court to secure a second successive Grand Slam final appearance.

The 28-year-old, who lost the French Open final last month, will face 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina or Czech 31st seed Barbora Krejcikova in Saturday’s final.