Elina Svitolina has made tennis history after reaching the Italian Open final.
Svitolina beat fourth seed Iga Swiatek 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to continue her impressive 2026 season.
This means that she has now reached her third Italian Open final, with Svitolina a two-time former champion in Rome.
After beating Swiatek, Svitolina has achieved a record which no other WTA player has done before.
Elina Svitolina makes tennis history at the Italian Open
Swiatek is one of two top five ranked players Svitolina has beaten at the Italian Open this year, having also defeated world number two Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals.
According to OptaAce, at 31 years and 235 days old, Svitolina has become the oldest player in WTA history to claim multiple top five wins at the Italian Open.
How highly would you rate Elina Svitolina’s chances of winning the French Open out of 10?
It is also the first time that Svitolina has claimed multiple top five wins at a single tournament since the 2019 WTA Finals.
This is not the only record that Svitolina has achieved after beating Swiatek at the Italian Open, as she is also the oldest player to defeat multiple former champions at a single edition of the Italian Open.
Svitolina reached the Dubai Tennis Championships final earlier this year as well, with the Ukrainian now reaching a WTA 1000 final on both hard and clay in 2026.
Serena Williams is the only player who has done this at an older age than Svitolina, which she achieved in both 2014 and 2016.
Who do you think is winning the women’s Italian Open final? 🏆
Elina Svitolina vs Coco Gauff Head-to-Head
Svitolina will play Coco Gauff in the Italian Open final, as she looks to claim her third title in Rome.
This will be a sixth meeting between the two finalists, with Svitolina leading the head-to-head against Gauff 3-2.
Gauff led the head-to-head against Svitolina prior to the 2026 season, but it has flipped on its head since then.
Svitolina has beaten Gauff at both the Australian Open and the Dubai Tennis Championships this year, but they have never played on clay before.
| Year | Tournament | Result |
| 2021 | Australian Open (R64) | Svitolina beat Gauff, 6-4 6-3 |
| 2024 | ASB Classic (F) | Gauff beat Svitolina, 6(4)-7 6-3 6-3 |
| 2024 | US Open (R32) | Gauff beat Svitolina, 3-6 6-3 6-3 |
| 2026 | Australian Open (QF) | Svitolina beat Gauff, 6-1 6-2 |
| 2026 | Dubai Tennis Championships (SF) | Svitolina beat Gauff, 6-4 6(13)-7 6-4 |
While Svitolina will be going for her third Italian Open title, Gauff will be hoping to win her first after losing to Jasmine Paolini in the final last year.
The women’s singles final at the Italian Open will take place on Saturday, May 16.
