Italian tennis star and WTA world No. 8 Jasmine Paolini was the subject of one of the best photographs of the year, captured by Italian photographer Ray Giubilo at the U.S. Open.
In Paolini's first-round match—a win over Australian Destanee Aiava—Giubilo took a photo at the perfect time and got a shot of Paolini with her eyes, nose and mouth perfectly lined up with the logo on the strings of her Yonex tennis racket.
The amazing shot is below:
Jasmine Paolini embraces photographer Ray Giubilo after he captured a once-in-a-lifetime picture of her during her previous match. https://t.co/xnWYDr3554 pic.twitter.com/bdnNimEtSj
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 28, 2025
She was asked about the photo in her post-match interview too as the Halloween-esque shot may have provided a new costume, or at least pumpkin-carving idea, for tennis fans all over the world.
"Maybe the picture of the year," she said via the U.S. Open.
Halloween costume sorted 🎃 😅
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 28, 2025
Stay tuned for @JasminePaolini's post later tonight! pic.twitter.com/NMmuVZgMUW
Paolini moves onto the U.S. Open's third round where she will take on Markéta Vondroušová on Friday. The first-round photo had to be a once-in-a-lifetime shot and it's cool to see the moment sparked Paolini herself to tip her cap.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jasmine Paolini Had Sweet Gesture for Photographer Who Shot Viral U.S. Open Photo.
