Tennis: Paolini outlasts Kasatkina in three hour marathon at Palermo Open

Italy's Jasmine Paolini outlasted former top-10 ranked Daria Kasatkina of Russia in a marathon first round match at the WTA Palermo Open on Monday. Paolini dropped the first set, but fought back to complete a 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 victory in an encounter that lasted over three hours. The pair shared 21 breaks of serve overall, 20 of them coming in the final 24 games of the match. Paolini, the world number 95, will next face either the number five seed Elise Mertens of Belgium or a yet-to-be-determined qualifier in the last 16. The Palermo Open is the first Tour-level event to take place on the women's circuit for five months due to the coronavirus pandemic.