Elina Svitolina defeated Coco Gauff, 6-4, 6-7, 6-2, in the Italian Open final.
Gauff couldn’t end her Italian Open campaign on a high note, falling short in a three-set thriller on Campo Centrale.
Is this the year Elina Svitolina finally wins a Grand Slam?
She's the 2026 Italian Open champion!
Still, Gauff has a lot to look forward to heading into Roland Garros, having rediscovered some of her best tennis in the Italian capital.
Coco Gauff ‘definitely feels the momentum’ heading into her French Open title defence
Gauff was quick to congratulate Svitolina during her post-match speech.
“First, I want to congratulate Elina [Svitolina], another tough battle between us,” she said.
Elina Svitolina vs Coco Gauff – Match stats
| Stats | Elina Svitolina | Coco Gauff |
| Aces | 2 | 1 |
| Double faults | 2 | 7 |
| 1st Serve % | 64% | 65% |
| Win % on 1st Serve | 64% | 64% |
| Win % on 2nd Serve | 52% | 45% |
| Break points | 6/15 | 3/17 |
“I’m on the other side, but hopefully one of these days I can get over that!
“But no, seriously, you had an incredible tournament, a lot of long matches against great players, so congratulations to you and your team, always very nice on and off the court, so hopefully see you at the French Open in the final, that would be nice.”
Elina Svitolina’s route to the Italian Open title
- 2R [WIN] vs Noemi Basiletti, 6-1, 6-3
- 3R [WIN] vs Hailey Baptiste, 6-1, 6-2
- 4R [WIN] vs Nikola Bartunkova, 6-2, 6-3
- QF [WIN] vs Elena Rybakina, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
- SF [WIN] vs Iga Swiatek, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2
- F [WIN] vs Coco Gauff, 6-4, 6-7, 6-2
Thanking God and her team, Gauff then looked ahead to the second Grand Slam of the year.
“Next, I would like to thank God, and my lord and saviour Jesus Christ, always keeping me covered and just a source of calmness for me,” she said.
“Then, I would like to thank my team.
“Sorry I couldn’t play a little bit better in some moments today, but it’s been a great two weeks with you guys.
“I definitely feel the momentum going into the French Open, so a lot of lessons learned from this match, but we keep going, and I appreciate you guys.”
Gauff continued, thanking everyone else she could remember!
“I would also like to thank my mum who is here, my dad who is at home and the rest of my family, for supporting me too,” she said.
“I’d like to thank all the ball kids, all the umpires, volunteers, staff, locker room staff, everyone who makes this tournament possible, making it as easy as possible for us players to show up on the court.
“I appreciate every person that I see and don’t see, and then also, I would like to thank you guys, the fans.
“I know it is cold, it’s been raining, it’s late, I’m ready to go to sleep, I’m sure you guys are too.
“So thank you so much, and I hope I didn’t forget anything else! See you next year.”
Now a two-time Italian Open runner-up, Gauff will return with her sights firmly set on the trophy next year.
Coco Gauff finds form right before the French Open
The world number four didn’t start her clay-court campaign in the best form, but has worked her way into contention
Live WTA Rankings
| Rank | Name | Country | Points |
| 1 | Aryna Sabalenka | Belarus | 9,960 |
| 2 | Elena Rybakina | Kazakhstan | 8,705 |
| 3 | Iga Swiatek | Poland | 7,273 |
| 4 | Coco Gauff | USA | 6,749 |
| 5 | Jessica Pegula | USA | 6,286 |
| 6 | Amanda Anisimova | USA | 5,958 |
| 7 | Elina Svitolina | Ukraine | 4,315 |
| 8 | Mirra Andreeva | Russia | 4,181 |
| 9 | Victoria Mboko | Canada | 3,405 |
| 10 | Karolina Muchova | Czechia | 3,328 |
Gauff can now turn her attention to the French Open, where she has an opportunity to retain a Grand Slam title for the first time in her career.
If she can play as well as she did in Rome, she might do just that.
Only time will tell if Gauff can emerge victorious in Paris, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action.
The French Open begins on Sunday, May 24.
