But the fans wanted something more than a blowout, and they were quick to approve when Paolini showed signs of life early in the second set. She began to win points at net, to flatten her forehand and match Vekic’s pace, and to walk with more energy and shout encouragement to herself. The crowd remained a wind in Paolini’s sails as the points and games grew longer and tougher in the second set. Forehand winners, backhand winners, drops, lobs, angles, touch volleys: Everything was happening now.
At 4-4, during another frenetic all-court rally, Vekic sent what looked like a winning topspin lob over Paolini’s head. Somehow, the Italian chased it down and flipped a lob back over her head as she ran toward the back wall. Vekic, with too much time to think about her smash, blasted it wide. Paolini led for the first time, and, to the crowd’s delight, would close the second set a game later with a forehand winner.
But just when the tide seemed to be shifting Paolini’s way, Vekic pushed back. She broke early in the third, re-established her forehand, and went up 3-1. With every winner, her coach, Pam Shriver, nodded her support. Shriver had climbed this mountain herself without ever reaching the top; the American made the Wimbledon semifinals in singles three times, but never the final. Was Vekic going to get her there?
