"She told me we are gonna meet in final": Anna Kalinskaya's coach told Jasmine Paolini in 'crazy' prediction prior to shock Dubai final

Jasmine Paolini revealed that Anna Kalinskaya's coach predicted they would play in the final of the Dubai Duty Tennis Free Championships. The Italian had a dream week and claimed her first WTA 1000, the most significant title of her career, after defeating the Russian 4-6, 7-5, 7-5.

An unlikely final between two unseeded players, few could have predicted it. Kalinskaya had an impeccable path, defeating the 9th seed Jelena Ostapenko, then the 3rd seed Coco Gauff, and the world No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the semifinals.

On the Italian side, Paolini also managed to eliminate the seeded players Beatriz Haddad Maia (11th) and Maria Sakkari (8th), in addition to benefiting from a walkover before her match with Elena Rybakina (4th).

After winning the title, Paolini mentioned that a few days earlier, she had an interaction with Kalinskaya's coach, Patricia Tarabini, and that the Argentine told her that both would reach the final, even though there were still several favorites in the draw.

"Congrats to Anna [Kalinskaya]," Paolini said. "You played an unbelievable week from qualifying. You’re doing an amazing job with Patricia. One of the nicest coaches on tour, I have to say."

"I’ll tell you something. Before the quarterfinals, I met Patricia and she told me we are gonna meet in the final. I was like 'Are you crazy?' And we meet in the final. Unbelievable," the new world No. 14 added.

The 28-year-old tennis player played an outstanding match and capitalized on Kalinskaya's uncertainties when she had the chance to seal the match. Paolini was a break down in the second and third sets, but managed a comeback, where even Kalinskaya was serving at 5-4 with the opportunity to win the title:

"It's special to have this trophy in my hands. Was such a great tournament. Every player was here. Yeah, was really, really tough draw. I'm just happy," Jasmine Paolini concluded.