Elina Svitolina defeated Coco Gauff in three sets to win her third Italian Open title.
The Ukrainian was excellent from start to finish in Rome, announcing herself as a Roland Garros contender.
Is this the year Elina Svitolina finally wins a Grand Slam?
She's the 2026 Italian Open champion!
But after such a difficult tournament, will Svitolina be fit for the French Open?
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Svitolina provided an update on her fitness.
Elina Svitolina expects to be ‘very tired’ tomorrow after ‘extremely tough’ Italian Open campaign
“It definitely was an extremely tough two weeks here, with big battles, big matches, late matches, going to bed at five in the morning, luckily having a day off,” she said.
“I think tomorrow I will feel very tired, but I have a couple of days now to enjoy with the family and be ready for Roland Garros.”
Elina Svitolina’s 2026 Italian Open campaign
| Round | Opponent | Score | Sets played | Games played | Match time |
| F | Coco Gauff | 6-4, 6-7, 6-2 | 3 | 31 | 2hr, 49 |
| SF | Iga Swiatek | 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 | 3 | 26 | 2hr, 14 |
| QF | Elena Rybakina | 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 | 3 | 28 | 2hr, 23 |
| 4R | Nikola Bartunkova | 6-2, 6-3 | 2 | 17 | 1hr, 19 |
| 3R | Hailey Baptiste | 6-1, 6-2 | 2 | 15 | 1hr, 07 |
| 2R | Noemi Basiletti | 6-1, 6-3 | 2 | 16 | 1hr, 15 |
Svitolina confirmed she will celebrate the win before travelling to Paris on Wednesday.
“Definitely, now, tonight and tomorrow,” she said.
“They [family] are waiting for me in Switzerland, and I am going there tomorrow.
“I am going to enjoy it, it’s going to be really nice for me to really relax, shut down for a couple of days, then Wednesday, I’m going to Roland Garros to practice, and get ready for the beginning of Roland Garros.”
Svitolina will head to Roland Garros as the Italian Open champion, something she hasn’t done in seven years.
Former British number one Tim Henman asked Svitolina how her game has changed since her previous Rome triumph in 2018.
Elina Svitolina’s Italian Open titles
- 2017
- 2018
- 2026
“I think I definitely play more aggressively,” she said.
“I think physically also, the tournament now is a bit longer, so you have a day off, which is good for me, I think, I’m a bit older now!
“I think I’m more aggressive and more free, I would say.”
Svitolina also touched on the match itself and how she fought through adversity to beat Gauff once again.
“Losing that second set was really painful, but I tried to refocus and go again,” she said.
“Sometimes I just say to myself, I need to play better, you need to bring the level, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but I’m very happy that I could re-group.
“Of course, it’s very difficult mentally to lose that second set. I was very close, two points away.
“I think I was playing good, but then Coco, she is a great fighter, she is always bringing the fight, and the fighting spirit, so I tried to really remember the semi-final in Dubai where I came back as well, trying to stay mentally tough.”
Svitolina has beaten Gauff three times this year, in Melbourne, Dubai, and Rome.
Elina Svitolina and Coco Gauff’s head-to-head record
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 2026 Italian Open – F | Elina Svitolina | Coco Gauff | 6-4, 6-7, 6-2 |
| 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships – SF | Elina Svitolina | Coco Gauff | 6-4, 6-7, 6-4 |
| 2026 Australian Open – QF | Elina Svitolina | Coco Gauff | 6-1, 6-2 |
| 2024 US Open – 3R | Coco Gauff | Elina Svitolina | 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 |
| 2024 ASB Classic – F | Coco Gauff | Elina Svitolina | 6-7, 6-3, 6-3 |
| 2021 Australian Open – 2R | Elina Svitolina | Coco Gauff | 6-4, 6-3 |
The 31-year-old now leads their head-to-head 4-2, having trailed 2-1 at the beginning of the year.
Only time will tell who will emerge victorious the next time they meet on tour.
Is Elina Svitolina a genuine French Open contender?
After watching her play in Rome, you’d have to say yes.
But it would be careless to ignore her record at Grand Slams.
For all her success elsewhere on tour, winning five WTA 1000 titles and the WTA Finals, Svitolina has never contested a major final.
Four times she’s played a Grand Slam semi and four times she’s lost.
When the pressure is on at the biggest tournaments, Svitolina hasn’t been able to get over the line.
However, that was then, and this is now.
Svitolina is arguably playing the best tennis of her career and has more experience than most of her rivals.
If she is going to win a Grand Slam, this might just be her year.
The 2026 French Open begins on Sunday, May 24.
