Paolini and Errani to battle Andreeva and Shnaider for Olympic gold

Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani will face Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider for the Olympic gold. The Italian third seeds lived up to their favoritism in the semifinals, defeating the Czech pair Karolina Muchova and Linda Noskova 6-3, 6-2.

The unseeded Individual Neutral Athletes Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider, who have eliminated three seeded pairs on their way, awaited them in the final. In the semifinals, they knocked out the Spanish eighth seeds Sara Sorribes Tormo and Cristina Bucsa, securing an Olympic medal.

The women's doubles draw featured several surprises, including the early eliminations of favorite pairs Gauff/Pegula and Krejcikova/Siniakova, who won't even compete for a medal. However, the Italian duo of Paolini-Errani has been dominant on their way to the final, showcasing the high level they’ve brought together in recent months.

At Roland Garros, they reached the final a few months ago but lost to Gauff and Siniakova. Previously, they won titles at the Rome Open and Linz Open this year, in addition to Monastir in 2023. They enter the final as favorites, considering they’ve been competing together for a year.

On their way, they defeated the pairs Erin Routliffe with Lulu Sun, then the locals Caroline Garcia and Diane Parry. In the quarterfinals, the victims were the British Heather Watson and Katie Boulter, while in the semifinals, they dispatched the Czechs Muchova/Noskova.

Errani will have the chance to achieve the Golden Slam in doubles, considering she has already won all four Grand Slams in the category between 2012 and 2014 while partnered with Roberta Vinci.

The pair of Individual Neutral Athletes Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider have been the revelation in the doubles draw, especially considering they hadn’t paired together before and have limited participation in doubles draws as they usually compete in singles.

In the first round, they defeated the Australians Alja Tomljanovic and Olivia Gadecki, losing their only set of the tournament. From there, they tipped the scales in their favor against highly experienced doubles opponents. In the second round, they dispatched Gabriela Dabrowski and Leylah Fernandez (5th seeds) and in the quarterfinals, they stunned the Czech duo 7-time Grand Slam champions Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova (2nd seeds).

The semifinals against the Spaniards Sorribes Tormo and Bucsa were an easy match, and in less than an hour, they secured their spot in the final. The 17-year-old Andreeva and 20-year-old Shnaider have never won titles in doubles but could achieve an unexpected gold in their first Olympic participation, although they’ll first have to defeat, for the fourth time in the tournament, a seeded pair.