Tennis world No. 10 Elina Svitolina will lift the Scudo for a third time at the Italian Open, after defeating two-time Grand Slam singles champion Coco Gauff, 6-4, 6(3)-7, 6-2, in the women’s singles final at the 2026 Italian Open on Saturday (16 May).
The Ukrainian star emerged victorious following two hours and 49 minutes of play at the iconic Foro Italico, after dropping the opening game of the first set to her higher-seeded opponent, putting her perfect record in clay court finals at jeopardy early in the match.
While she trailed 2-4 at one point in the first set, Svitolina did everything she could to make sure that was a minuscule blip in an otherwise outstanding performance, saving 14 of 17 break points faced throughout the match, while converting six of her own.
She ultimately took the first set and seemed poised to take the second before Gauff mustered up a comeback of her own and forced a tie-break to determine the second set.
A sudden momentum shift helped the North American star stay in the match, setting the stage for a decisive third set in what had become a thrilling tussle between two top-ten players.
Capitalising on every mistake made by Gauff – whose service struggles reared their ugly head once more, resulting in seven double faults – Svitolina held strong on centre court, racing to victory in eight games to win her first Italian Open title since 2018, and her third consecutive win against Gauff.
“It’s very hard to believe it’s been eight years since I had this trophy,” the triumphant 31-year-old said after the match. “Definitely was an extremely tough battle.”
Reflecting on the tournament as a whole, Svitolina added: “I’m very happy with the way I could handle my nerves, not only today, but also throughout this tournament.
“It’s been tough, but I’m very happy with the way I’ve been playing, the way my body has been reacting on these tough matches. Just very proud of the effort.”
Earning her fifth WTA 1000-level tournament victory, Svitolina joined Poland’s Iga Świątek in the three-time winner’s club at the Italian Open, successfully completing a giant-slaying campaign that featured wins against world No. 2 Elena Rybakina, world No. 3 Świątek and world No. 4 Gauff.
She also extended her clay-court finals record to 8-0, building on a strong history of success on the surface mere weeks before the 2026 French Open, where she’ll look to spur a sense of déjà vu and run the length of the draw en route to her first-ever Grand Slam singles title.