Roma, 18 mag. (LaPresse) – Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini win the women's doubles title at the Internazionali d’Italia, defending the trophy they claimed last year.
The Italian duo defeated Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova and Belgium’s Elise Mertens in straight sets, 6-4, 7-5, in one hour and 35 minutes, after coming back from 0-4 down in both sets.
Paolini, who had won the singles title just the day before, becomes the first player since Monica Seles in 1990 to win both singles and doubles in the same year in Rome. She is also just the second player ever, after Vera Zvonareva in Indian Wells 2009, to complete the singles-doubles double at a WTA 1000 tournament.
The Italians built their victory on two impressive comebacks. Trailing 0-4 in the first set, they rallied to win six straight games, lifted by the support of the home crowd. A similar script played out in the second set: after losing their opening two service games, they fought back from 0-4 to level at 4-4.
After breaking in the ninth game, they were broken back immediately, but at 5-5, Errani and Paolini raised their level once again and closed out the set 7-5.
This victory is also a form of revenge for the Italians, who had lost to Kudermetova and Mertens just three weeks ago in the round of 16 in Madrid.
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