For Jasmine Paolini, this history is bleak.
Entering the quarter-finals of the Dongfeng Woya Wuhan Open, she lost all six matches with Iga Swiatek and only won one set.
But on a warm Friday night at the Optics Valley International Tennis Center, Paolini changed the course of history, defeating Swiatek 6-1, 6-2. It was over after 65 minutes.
The unstoppable 29-year-old Italian will face No. 3 Coco Gauff in Saturday's semifinals (5 p.m. local time, 5 a.m. ET). Goff has won the first two career meetings against Paolini (Adelaide in 2021 and Cincinnati in 2023) but has lost the last three meetings (Stuttgart, Roma and Cincinnati) – all this season.
Paolini also improved her chances of qualifying for the final singles of the PIF WTA Finals Qualifying Tournament in Riyadh, overtaking Elena Rybakina who had earlier lost to Aryna Sabalenka and Mira Andreeva. With Jessica Pegula's win in the quarter-finals and Rybakina's defeat, Pegula has now officially qualified for Riyadh.
Paolini was aggressive and followed the rhythm of Swiatek's shots. It is worth noting that despite Paolini's offensive mode, she only made three unforced errors in her 15 winning goals.
How did Paolini get dialed in? Swiatek faced six break points in the match, and Paolini won them all.
“I finally won a match,” Paolini said in an on-court interview. “I'm really happy with my level. It feels great.”
Paolini announced her intentions early in this fight, breaking Swiatek's love with a thunderous comeback winner. After 4-0, Swiatek successfully held serve, but Paolini broke serve for the third time. Swiatek hurriedly hit the forehand into the net to bring the score back to one set.
Paolini produced an almost flawless performance in the opening 26 minutes, scoring seven winning goals and, incredibly, making one unforced error.
The second set was much the same. Paolini led 2-0, but Swiatek got the first break of the match and regained serve. But Paolini broke serve with another brilliant return winner to take an insurmountable 3-1 lead.
Last year, Paolini became a star by reaching back-to-back finals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. All season long, she's been asked if she can sustain those breaks.
Here’s the answer: The victory over Swiatek was her 41st WTA Tour main draw win in 2025, one more than last year. Paolini has 26 wins in the WTA 1000 this year, tied for second with Sabalenka and behind Swiatek's 28 wins.
Earlier, Gauff efficiently defeated Laura Sigmund with a score of 6-3, 6-0.
The 21-year-old American performed well, winning 27 of 45 points on Siegmund's serve and breaking serve five times.
“It was a very simple game,” Goff said afterward. “She's a crafty and tough player, but I think I did a good job of being patient and waiting for my opportunity.”
Gauff has won seven of eight tournaments in Beijing and Wuhan, leading all Hologic WTA Tour players with 15 wins in China over the past two years. She is the first female player in the 16-year history of the WTA 1000s event to reach the semi-finals five consecutive times in China.