Jasmine Paolini got the party started at the Foro Italico. And now the stage is set for Jannik Sinner to cap it off.

Paolini took advantage of the crowd’s support and beat Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-2 to become the first home player to win the Italian Open in 40 years on Saturday.

With the top-ranked Sinner to play Carlos Alcaraz in the men’s final today, Italy could earn its first sweep of the Rome singles titles.

The last Italian woman to win the open was Raffaella Reggi in 1985 in Taranto. The last local man to raise the trophy was Adriano Panatta in 1976.

When Paolini hit a big serve down the T on her second championship point and Gauff couldn’t get it back, she celebrated with a big smile and raised her arms as she spun around in joy.

“It doesn’t seem real to me,” Paolini said. “I came here as a kid to see this tournament but winning it and holding up this trophy wasn’t even in my dreams.”

Before the trophy ceremony, the crowd chanted “Ole, ole, ole, Jas-mine, Jas-mine,” and Paolini responded by forming her hands into a heart shape.

“The crowd has been incredible,” Paolini said.

Paolini and partner Sara Errani are also in the women’s doubles final and will play Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens for that trophy today.

“It’s been two incredible weeks and it’s not finished yet,” Paolini said.

WNBA

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese agreed on one thing Saturday: Their dustup during the season opener was just the result of a basketball play.

Aside from that, Clark did most of the talking.

She downplayed the on-court fracas that occurred with 4:38 left in the third quarter, which spurred Indiana to a 93-58 victory over the Chicago Sky in Indianapolis. It started with Reese grabbing an offensive rebound and Clark slapping Reese’s arm hard enough to jar the ball loose and knock Reese to floor.

When Reese got up, she tried to confront Clark before Indiana center Aliyah Boston stepped in between the two players. Clark’s third personal foul was upgraded to a flagrant 1 while Boston and Reese each drew technical fouls following a replay review by the referees.

“Let’s not make it something that it’s not,” Clark said after posting the third triple-double of her career. “It was just a good play on the basketball. I’m not sure what the ref saw to upgrade it, and that’s up to their discretion. It’s a take foul to put them at the free-throw line. I’ve watched a lot of basketball in my life, that’s exactly what it was. I wasn’t trying to do anything malicious. That’s not the type of player I am.”

Still, it’s hard to ignore the obvious — that the fray added another chapter to the rivalry that has captivated women’s basketball. It dates to their college days, when Reese helped lead LSU to a 102-85 victory over Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes for the 2022-23 national championship. Clark won the rematch in the spring of 2024, a game that drew 12.3 million television viewers.

Less than eight weeks later, they were squaring off in the WNBA in the first of four matchups. The Fever took three of those contests, many featuring hard fouls. In the end Clark helped Indiana make the playoffs and the Sky came up short as Reese missed the final two weeks of games with a season-ending wrist injury. Now this.

Reese’s analysis of what happened?

“A basketball play,” she said without elaborating after scoring 12 points and grabbing 17 rebounds.

When a follow-up question was asked later in the interview, a team spokesman cut her off, saying Reese had already answered the question. And when new coach Tyler Marsh was asked about his thoughts, he paused before repeating Reese’s answer.

Indiana had a little more to say after Clark finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and a career-high four blocks.

“Nobody’s going to get anything easy against us,” new Fever coach Stephanie White said. “We’re going to be a tough defensive team. I thought it was a clear play on the ball as well. One of the points of emphasis is we can’t give up. But I thought it was a clear play on the ball.”

Crew chief Roy Gulbeyan disagreed.

“The foul on Clark met the criteria for flagrant foul 1, for wind up, impact, and follow through for the extension of the left hand to Reese’s back, which is deemed not a legitimate basketball play, and therefore deemed unnecessary contact,” he said. “After the foul, there is a physical taunt technical on Boston and a verbal technical on Reese, which offset.”

Boston may have been the most surprised, not even realizing she had been called for the technical until after the game. She reacted by putting her hands on her face, looking surprised and asking if she really had drawn the technical.

But the calls clearly changed the game.

After Reese missed the first of two throws, Gainbridge Fieldhouse erupted in cheers. Reese made the second and Chicago added a layup on the ensuing possession to close to 56-45.

Then the Fever closed the third quarter with nine straight points to extend the margin by 20 and never let Chicago get closer than 18 the rest of the way as they matched the second-largest victory margin in franchise history.

“I went for the ball, clear as day in the replay,” Clark said. “You watch it, you know it shouldn’t have been upgraded. Again that’s up to the refs’ discretion, but I appreciate A.B. having my back.”

Liberty 92, Aces 78: Breanna Stewart scored 25 points and Natasha Cloud added 22 to help host New York beat Las Vegas Aces in the season opener, right after the team unveiled its 2024 WNBA championship banner.

HOCKEY

The United States blew a three-goal first-period lead before beating Germany 6-3 at the ice hockey world championship.

Conor Garland’s power-play goal 4:50 into the third period proved to be the winner as the Americans moved into a tie with the Czech Republic, each with 11 points, trailing Group B leader Switzerland by two points.

Tage Thompson, Frank Nazar, and Drew O’Connor scored early as the U.S. took a 3-0 lead with 5:43 left in the first period.

Germany pulled even with three goals in the second period.

After Garland’s go-ahead goal, Logan Cooley made it 5-3 with 3:29 to go and Clayton Keller scored into an empty net with 1:53 left.

In Stockholm, Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon struck twice each as Canada shut out Slovakia 7-0 to stay perfect after five games.

Canada is second in Group A, trailing unbeaten Sweden, which has played one more game. Both teams have already secured places in the quarterfinals.

Crosby added two assists, Macklin Celebrini had a goal and two assists, Brandon Montour scored and assisted, and Tyson Foerster also scored.

Goalie Jordan Binnington stopped 14 shots for his second shutout.

GOLF

Jerry Kelly carded the low round of the day with a bogey-free 7-under 65 to take a one-stroke lead over Y.E. Yang (67) into the final round of the PGA Tour Champions Regions Tradition at Greystone Country Club in Birmingham, Ala.

Kelly, 58, seeks his 14th win on the Champions tour and second this season after taking the Mitsubishi Electric Classic April 25-27.

Kelly would be the 23rd player in PGA TOUR Champions history to reach 14 wins and would move into a tie for 19th on the all-time wins list.

SOCCER

Crystal Palace pulled off one of the biggest FA Cup final upsets in recent memory by beating Manchester City 1-0 at Wembley Stadium.

Palace lifted the trophy for the first time in its history and ensured the once dominant City would end the campaign empty-handed.

Eberechi Eze’s first-half strike also secured the first major trophy Palace has ever won.

As cup final upsets go, it was up there with Wigan’s victory over City in 2013 and Wimbledon’s famous win against Liverpool in 1988.