Elina Svitolina has secured her third Italian Open title, overcoming Coco Gauff in a thrilling three-set final.
Svitolina battled back to win the first set and responded to losing the second on a tie-break to claim a 6-4 6-7 (3-7) 6-2 victory.
Svitolina’s Road to Victory
Svitolina’s path to success in Rome included notable three-set wins against Elena Rybakina, Iga Swiatek and Gauff.
Svitolina said she was very pleased with the two weeks. It’s hard to believe it’s been eight years since she had the trophy.
Gauff’s Perspective
Gauff, who also finished runner-up in Rome last year, admitted it was “another tough battle between us”. She hopes one day she can get over that.
Gauff praised Svitolina for her impressive run against more favoured opponents. She added congratulations to Svitolina and her team.
Match Highlights
Svitolina was broken in the first and fifth games, finding herself 4-2 down in the opening set before recovering to take a 5-4 lead. A forehand down the line in the 10th game gave her a set point, and she took it when Gauff double-faulted.
The second set contrasted the first, with Gauff primarily on the defensive. Despite failing to serve out for the set at 6-5 up, she won the tie-break to level the match.
Svitolina proved stronger in the third set, breaking her rival’s serve in the fifth and seventh games before serving out to win in two hours 49 minutes.
Svitolina’s Recent Form Against Gauff
The world number 10 enjoyed a third successive victory against Gauff, having beaten the American in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open and semi-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Svitolina’s previous victories in the tournament came in 2017 and 2018.
Svitolina had an incredible tournament with a lot of long matches against great players.