Jasmine Paolini opened her Miami Open campaign with authority, outlasting Taylor Townsend in three sets before teaming with Sara Errani to beat Shuko Aoyama and Ulrikke Eikeri 6-3, 6-2. Yet the win took a bizarre twist. A stray shot from her own side struck Paolini, turning a routine finish into an awkward moment.

At match point, 5-2 (40-30), Sara Errani stepped up to serve. Ulrikke Eikeri returned the ball, but it landed out. The point looked finished. In the follow-up, Errani struck the ball again. The shot went off target and hit Jasmine Paolini on the head. The impact stunned her momentarily.

Paolini immediately sat down on the court. She held the back of her head with both hands. The moment briefly raised concern. However, the tension quickly eased. Errani rushed over to check on her partner. Both players soon broke into smiles.

The crowd also reacted with laughter as the situation turned light-hearted within seconds. The players then moved to the net for the handshake. 

Interestingly, the doubles partnership between Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini is often seen as something special, given the success they’ve enjoyed together. In fact, Paolini herself has said that some of the most memorable moments of her career have come alongside Errani.

After pairing up occasionally between 2019 and 2023, Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani began playing together more consistently in 2024, and the results were remarkable. The duo went on to win Olympic gold for Italy in women’s doubles at the Paris Olympics, while also clinching titles in Linz, Rome, and Beijing.

Paolini even took a moment to reflect on just how special that Olympic triumph was for her.

“The Olympics are a bit forgotten in tennis, but when she asked me to play doubles to try to qualify, I said ‘okay.’ We started playing and I saw we were doing well, and then she gave me incredible moments. When we won the medal, I understood its value in that moment. It’s totally different, it involves more people and more countries.”

As Errani and Paolini move into the next round in Miami, the duo will be looking to keep the momentum going, while clearly enjoying every bit of their time on court.

And as for the accidental hit, it’s just another quirky addition to tennis’ ever-growing list of bizarre and unforgettable moments.

Jelena Ostapenko hits her mixed doubles partner twice at Wimbledon

Back in 2019, Jelena Ostapenko had a bizarre moment at the Wimbledon Championships, when she played mixed doubles with Robert Lindstedt. In their second-round match against Makoto Ninomiya and Andrés Molteni, she accidentally fired a serve straight into the back of Lindstedt’s head early in the opening set.

Both players laughed it off as a fluke. However, the same thing happened again later. In the round of 16, they played John Peers and Zhang Shuai. Ostapenko again struck her partner accidentally.

Another similar incident happened at the US Open in 2023. During a Round of 16 clash in the Grandstand, Victoria Azarenka accidentally hit her partner, Beatriz Haddad Maia, during a dominant win over Miyu Kato and Aldila Sutjiadi.

As the ball dropped, Azarenka mistimed her shot. It struck her teammate instead of crossing the net. Commentators reacted instantly, saying, “Vika, what are you doing? She’s your teammate!”

A similar moment came in 2014, when Taylor Townsend accidentally hit her teammate Liezel Huber. The match involved the Philadelphia Freedoms and the Washington Kastles.

Huber had to leave after being hit on the head. With her exit, Martina Hingis and Anastasia Rodionova gained control. The Kastles won the set 5-1, shifting the match completely.

Now, after the incident involving the Italian pair, fans will be hoping Paolini comes through unscathed in her Singles Round of 32 clash against Jelena Ostapenko today.