By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, Might 16, 2026
Picture credit score: Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Getty Photographs
Streaking throughout the pink clay, Elina Svitolina blistered a backhand down the road sliding to a cease inside sniffing distance of the court-side flowers.
No time to cease and scent the roses, Svitolina was too busy booming and blooming on the pink clay.
A revitalized Svitolina roared via the ultimate 5 video games in a row out-dueling Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-2—her third straight win over the American this 12 months—to seize third profession Rome championship.
It’s Svitolina’s twentieth profession championship.
Eight years after her final Rome title, Svitolina improved her immaculate clay-court finals file to 8-0.
In a unbelievable fortnight, the 31-year-old Svitolina swept Madrid semifinalist Hailey Baptistie then beat three Prime 5-ranked champions—No. 2 Elena Rybakina, No. 3 Iga Swiatek and No. 4 Gauff—in succession making historical past because the oldest lady to assert three or extra Prime 5 wins at a WTA 1000 event.
Exuding her combating spirit and displaying sharp problem-solving expertise helped propel Svitolina to the title.
“It’s very arduous to consider that it’s been eight years since I had this trophy right here,” Svitolina instructed the gang. “Very, more than happy in fact with the 2 weeks right here.
“I’m very completely satisfied to carry this trophy with you [my team]. I wish to thank my health coach, thank in fact my household, my husband, telling me I’m very unhealthy at speeches so hopefully it’s not too unhealthy this time.”
Kipling’s “In the event you can meet with triumph and catastrophe and deal with these two imposters simply the identical” resonates deeply throughout the pink clay this month as Ukrainian ladies, impressed by their combating spirit of their compatriots at house, raised again to again WTA 1000 championships.
Two weeks in the past, all-court acrobat Marta Kostyuk clipped Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 7-5 in at the moment’s Mutua Madrid Open ultimate then celebrated with a superb again flip.
Whereas Ukrainians again house dig out of the rubble or watch the matches from bomb shelters, Svitolina and Kostyuk are flying the flag with satisfaction on the sport’s biggest pink clay phases.
Immediately, Svitolina, Kostyuk’s teammate on Ukraine’s Olympic and Billie Jean King groups, returned as Rome ruler and thanked followers again house empowering arguably her biggest title run.
“I wish to thank all of the individuals again in Ukraine who’ve been watching, supporting being in a bomb shelter,” Svitolina stated. “Its been very heavy time for Ukraine.
“I wish to thank all of the help for looking for the matches and discovering the matches and watching the matches. I really feel the love. Thanks. Slava Ukraini.”
It’s the second title of the season for Auckland champion, Svitolina who improved to 28-7, together with 7-3 vs. Prime 10 opponents, in 2026.
It was a gritty effort from Gauff, who betrayed her personal trigger by committing 67 unforced errors, together with 40 from her unruly forehand. Gautf served a high-percentage constructing a 4-2 first-set lead, however twice surrendered serve in two double fault video games and transformed simply 3 of 17 break factors.
“I feel it was extra of a way of nerve. Once you give your self that many alternatives, it’s not a recreation factor ’trigger your recreation is okay since you’re making these alternatives,” Gauff stated of her break-point conversion struggles. “It’s simply being higher on these factors.
“I feel I used to be, once more, like I stated, too passive. A few of them I received unfortunate within the first set. A pair let cords. She raised her degree. Lots of them I feel I simply didn’t put sufficient on the ball.”
A 12 months after bowing to house hero Jasmine Paolini within the ultimate, Gauff suffered a dispiriting finish to a dynamic event that noticed her save a match level to knock off compatriot Iva Jovic 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 within the spherical of 16.
The 22-year–outdated Gauff led in all three units on this ultimate, however Svitolina performed extra proactive tennis on pivotal factors.
“I wish to congratulate Elina—one other robust battle between us,” Gauff stated. “I’m on the opposite aspect and hopefully one in all lately I can recover from that.
“You’ve had a variety of lengthy matches in opposition to nice participant so congratulations on that. Hopefully I’ll see you on the French Open within the finals.Lots of classes realized from this match. I preserve going.”
Whereas Gauff might rue a few of these forehand errors that broke down at instances, full credit score to Svitolina who continued to pound away at that weaker wing and provoke errors.
Of their first clay-court conflict, Gauff got here out, thumping the ball deep within the courtroom off each wings.
Turning her hips and shoulders into her two-hander, Gauff banged a backhand winner for a 3rd break level. Within the ensuing 27-shot rally, Svitolina repeatedly challenged the American’s extra fragile forehand, however Gauff hung robust drawing a netted reply breaking to open the ultimate.
Touchdown first serves, Gauff backed up the break at love for 2-0.
Halfway via the set, Svitolina began taking part in nearer to the baseline mixing the depth and angle of her forehand and exploited a sloppy serve recreation from the American to interrupt again.
The third seed capped a two double fault recreation with successive forehand errors, blowing a 40-Love lead and gifting Svitolina the break to even after eight video games.
Within the punishing 13-minute recreation that adopted, Svitolina confirmed supreme toughness staving off three break factors. Draining each second of the shot clock to recuperate after size exchanges, Svitolina, who had been silent a lot of the match, was all of a sudden grunting with every forehand strike.
The 2-time champion drew a pair of forehand errors from Gauff in a fierce 13-minute stand for 5-4.
In an indication of jitters, a decent Gauff framed a double fault to start out the tenth recreation.
The pair staged a crackling crosscourt forehand change till Svitolina scalded a forehand strike down the road for break and set level 59-minutes into the match.
Nerves tightened up Gauff’s proper arm as she once more shanked a double fault—her second straight two double fault recreation—as Svitolina stole the one-hour opener with a 4 recreation run.
The Australian Open semifinalist saved eight of 10 break factors rallying from a 2-4 deficit then displaying sheer will and braveness saving three break factors in each the seventh and ninth video games with robust stands.
A pissed off Gauff hit herself as if administering punishment for the blown lead then griped misgivings about her play to teach Jean Christophe Faurel, who emphasised the positives and urged her to maintain combating.
Svitolina slid the primary ace of the match down the T opening the second set with a maintain.
In a blinding ninth recreation, Svitolina hit a pair of sensational pictures, together with a slick scoop half-volley. Svitolina saved a break level alongside the best way when Gauff went all in on a backhand down the road, however netted it. The 2-time champion made a stand holding for 5-4.
For a lot of the primary set, Gauff was profitable the longer rallies, however Svitolina modified that along with her forehand aggression within the second set.
By the latter phases, Gauff was actively shortening factors, utilizing the drop shot at instances and even attacking web herself.
A Gauff forehand method clipped the tape and popped up. Svitlina smacked a move into the American’s hip, however Gauff responded with a stab, self-preservation volley winner breaking for 6-5.
Serving to pressure a decider, Gauff was defensive falling right into a Love-40 gap. Svitolina rapped a operating forehand move breaking to pressure the second-set tiebreaker.
The seventh seed hit a excessive forehand swing volley for a 3-2 lead solely to see Gauff roar via 5 factors in a row.
The pivotal level got here when Gauff clocked a forehand winner down the road ending a 20-shot rally with a bang for the mini break and a 5-3 lead. Svitolina netted successive forehands as Gauff snatched the second set.
Saving a break level within the opening recreation of the decider, Gauff drilled her first ace to assist navigate the maintain after two hours, 16 minutes.
There’s a serenity in Svitolina’s easy strokes and a calmness in her face—even beneath extreme stress—that’s admirable. Svitolina cranked a forehand down the road to avoid wasting a break level, ultimately holding to degree after 4 video games.
Studying the drop shot, Svitolina poked a forehand move for 15-30. Gauff flat-lined successive drives into web as Svitolina scored her fifth break for a 3-2 lead within the decider.
The Roland Garros champion by no means recovered. Svitolina backed up the break at 30 then hit a superb operating backhand down the road that helped her go up a double break at 5-2.
Regardless of the defeat, Gauff stated she feels ready forward of launching her Roland Garros title protection in Paris.
“There’s a variety of positives I can take from this event and lots I can study from,” Gauff stated. “I’m positive
the strain will likely be there.
“I don’t know. I feel this week I skilled all of the ups and downs of a event that may convey you earlier than a Grand Slam of I’ve been down, had the lead, misplaced the lead, I’ve been within the ultimate, been down match level. I feel I’ve skilled each situation that may put together me for
Roland Garros. Hopefully I can truly study from every situation and do higher.”
Three months in the past, Svitolina handled the frustration of 4 match factors dissipating within the tiebreaker then went into warrior mode out-dueling Gauff 6-4, 6-7(13), 6-4 in a wild conflict to advance to her fifth profession WTA 1000 ultimate in Dubai. In February, Belinda Bencic and Svitolina made historical past by marking the primary time two moms ranked contained in the WTA Prime 10.
Digging in at the moment, Gauff saved two championship factors, together with rocketing a forehand laser down the road.
Svitolina is a extra full participant than the girl who beat Simona Halep to seize back-to-back Rome titles in 2017 and 2018. She confirmed it sliding a stinging serve down the T for a 3rd championship level.
The pair got here practically nose-to-nose at web the place Svitolina knocked off a ultimate backhand volley then flung her racquet apart in an eruption of emotion.
Delivering timeless tennis dedication, Svitolina guidelines the Everlasting Metropolis once more.
