Elina Svitolina secured her spot in the Internazionali BNL d’Italia final on May 14 by winning a hard-fought semifinal against world No. 3 Iga Swiatek, with scores of 6-4, 2-6, 6-2. This victory wrapped up an impressive week at the Foro Italico, where she has eliminated both the world No. 2 and No. 3 in consecutive matches. Just a day before, she had survived a challenging two-hour and 24-minute quarterfinal against Elena Rybakina.
The match itself had two distinct parts. Svitolina controlled the first set with quiet effectiveness. She stayed focused while Swiatek made uncharacteristic mistakes. The five-time Grand Slam champion racked up 24 unforced errors against only seven winners and dropped serve three times. However, Swiatek quickly regrouped in the second set, raising her first-serve percentage from 52% to 81% and jumping to a 3-0 double-break lead.
Svitolina saved three break points in a tense first game of the final set, then broke Swiatek to take a 3-0 lead. At that point, the match was all but decided. Swiatek ended with 28 winners, but she also recorded a staggering 50 unforced errors, and paid dearly for it. The former world No. 1 now heads to Roland Garros without a title or even a clay-court final this season.
“It’s amazing, the feeling is just unreal,” Svitolina said in an on-court interview. “After so many years, (to be) here again in the final is such an amazing feeling. And to do it in such a great way.”
Waiting for Svitolina in the final is world No. 4 Coco Gauff. She appeared sharp in her semifinal, beating Romanian veteran Sorana Cirstea 6-4, 6-3 in just over an hour. It wasn’t entirely easy, Gauff fell behind 2-4 in the first set, but the 22-year-old American won four straight games to take control. It was a focused performance from a player who had fought through three consecutive three-set matches to reach the semifinals, including a close victory over fellow American Iva Jovic.
Svitolina leads their head-to-head series 3-2, including wins over Gauff in the Australian Open quarterfinals and in Dubai earlier this year, though they have yet to face each other on clay. For Svitolina, a two-time Rome champion in 2017 and 2018, this would be her third title of 2026 and a second at the WTA 1000 level. For Gauff, it’s an opportunity to improve upon her runner-up finish in Miami.
