(VIDEO) Jasmine Paolini in pain after suffering injury during defeat to Sofia Kenin in Duty-Free Tennis Championships 2025

Italy’s Jasmine Paolini was visibly in pain after injuring herself during her second-round exit from the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships 2025. The 29-year-old lost in the round of 16 to America’s Sofia Kenin in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 6-0.

During the contest, Paolini injured herself. In a video released on the social media platform X — previously known as Twitter — the Italian tennis star can be seen on the floor in pain after the injury. The result is a massive blow for the reigning world number four as she was defending the title. She won the competition last year after beating Anna Kalinskaya in the final with a score of 4-6, 7-5, 7-5.

This is the third consecutive tournament this year where Paolini has found it hard to produce consistent results. In the first Grand Slam of the year — the Australian Open — she was knocked out after losing in the third round to Elina Svitolina with a score of 2-6, 6-4, 6-0. Just before coming to Dubai, Paolini featured in the Qatar Open, where she was knocked out after losing in the second round to Latvia’s Jeļena Ostapenko in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 6-2.

Interestingly, Paoli is also due to take part in the doubles category at the event, where she and her fellow Italian Sara Errani will face the pair of Alexandra Panova and Fanny Stollar. However, after suffering the injury, it is not clear whether the two-time Grand Slam winner will still decide to feature in the doubles event.

On the other hand, the result will be a major boost for Kenin, who has had a hard time producing consistent results on the court. This year, she played in five events before coming to Dubai but never managed to play beyond the quarterfinals stage.