Elina Svitolina beats Coco Gauff to regain Italian Open title and break Serena Williams record - 'Hard to believe it's been eight years'

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Elina Svitolina underlined her status as a genuine French Open contender after overcoming Coco Gauff in a gruelling three-set battle to win the Italian Open title in Rome.

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Svitolina secured a fifth WTA 1000 title, and a first since 2018, by shaking off her American opponent 6-4 6-7(3) 6-2 at the Foro Italico to claim her first clay-court trophy of the season just days before Roland-Garros begins, live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.

The Ukrainian defeated the world No. 4 to claim her third Rome title, regaining the crown after an eight-year gap.

As reported by the WTA, 31-year-old Svitolina "became the oldest player to claim three or more titles at a single Tier I/WTA 1000 event, surpassing Serena Williams".

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It also marked a third successive win against Gauff, after victories in the Australian Open quarter-finals and Dubai Tennis Championships.

"It's very hard to believe it's been eight years since I had this trophy and very pleased with the two weeks here," Svitolina said.

"The fighting spirit has been there this week so I'm very happy after the break I took in September.

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"It really helped me get fresh and get more balanced in myself. It's given me a chance to compete against some good players, great champions. I'm just so happy that everything happened here in Rome.

"I really wanted to have 20 titles at least in my career, so it's a dream. I knew from the quarter-finals onwards I had a chance, so I put everything into winning this trophy."

Svitolina - who has now won 20 titles on the WTA Tour - was forced to dig deep early in the contest on Saturday.

She recovered from a break down on two separate occasions in the opening set before drawing level at 4-4.

From there, the momentum shifted with long, punishing rallies increasingly favouring the seventh seed, whose aggression off both wings helped her edge ahead before pressure mounted on Gauff’s serve.

Two costly double faults from the American handed the world No. 10 the opener and left the reigning French Open champion searching for answers.

The second set was finely balanced throughout, with Svitolina appearing on course to close out the match in straight sets as she raised the intensity late on.

But Gauff resisted impressively, staying alive at 5-5 before earning a break after a fortunate net cord disrupted Svitolina's rhythm and forced an error.

Any momentum swing proved temporary as Svitolina responded immediately with a break of her own, although Gauff elevated her level in the tie-break to force a third set.

The decider started on serve, but Svitolina gradually took control through her consistency and superior shot tolerance. A loose backhand from Gauff handed her opponent a crucial break midway through the set, and she quickly tightened her grip on the match with a second break soon after.

Despite late tension as the finish line approached, Svitolina kept her composure to convert her third championship point and secure the title.

With Roland-Garros beginning in Paris on May 24, the victory offers another reminder that Svitolina could emerge as a serious threat in the women's draw as she continues her pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title.

With world No. 2 Elena Rybakina and No. 3 Iga Swiatek also being defeated on her way to being crowned champion, Svitolina looks set to be a serious contender in the French capital.

Gauff also finished runner-up in Rome last year, but it proved a positive precursor for what followed as she went on to win the French Open.

Elina Svitolina has now won the Italian Open in 2017, 2018 and 2026

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"Another tough battle between us," admitted the 22-year-old. "I'm on the other side but hopefully, one of these days, I can get over that."

Addressing Svitolina directly, Gauff added: "You have had an incredible tournament - a lot of long matches against great players - so congratulations to you and your team.

"You’re always very nice on and off the court, so hopefully I’ll see you at the French Open in the final. That would be nice."

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