Elina Svitolina of Ukraine secured her third Italian Open championship after a captivating three-set triumph over Coco Gauff in the championship match.
At 31, she recovered from a 4-2 deficit to seize the initial set; and even though she conceded the second in a tie-break, Svitolina rallied to clinch the final set, resulting in a 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), 6-2 outcome.
Her path to victory in the Rome tournament included significant three-set triumphs over Elena Rybakina, currently ranked second globally, Iga Swiatek, the world number three, and Gauff, who holds the fourth position.
Svitolina, having previously won the event in 2017 and 2018, commented: “It feels surreal that it’s been eight years since I last held this championship cup, and I’m extremely content with my performance over these two weeks.”
The athlete, ranked tenth globally, secured her third consecutive win against Gauff, having previously defeated the American in the Australian Open quarter-finals and the Dubai Tennis Championships semi-finals.
“It was another challenging encounter between us,” Gauff acknowledged, noting that she was also the runner-up in Rome the previous year before her French Open victory. She added, “I’m currently on the losing end, but I hope to overcome that in the future.”
Furthermore, she commended Svitolina for her remarkable performance against higher-ranked competitors, stating: “You played an amazing tournament – many extended matches against formidable opponents, so congratulations to you and your squad.”
