Elina Svitolina captured her third Italian Open title on May 16, 2026, beating Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-2 in a three-set final [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. Svitolina, currently ranked world No. 10, overcame Gauff who is world No. 4 and the reigning Roland Garros champion [1, 2, 4, 5, 6].
Svitolina showed resilience through the match, battling back from breaks several times especially in the first and third sets [1, 2, 3, 5]. She said, "It's very hard to believe it's been eight years since I had this trophy and very pleased with the two weeks here" [2]. This marks her third Italian Open win after previous titles in 2017 and 2018 [1, 2, 4, 6]. She defeated three top-5 ranked players consecutively on her way to the title: world No. 2 Elena Rybakina, No. 3 Iga Swiatek, and No. 4 Coco Gauff [2, 4, 6].
Gauff reached the final by beating Sorana Cirstea 6-4, 6-3 on May 14, but fell short despite winning the second set tiebreak in the final [7, 1, 2, 8, 9, 3, 4, 5, 6]. Gauff commented after the final, "Another tough battle between us. I'm on the other side but hopefully one of these days I can get over that" [2]. Earlier, Gauff said, "I think I learned a little bit more from each match. Those are the matches you get through... I’m really grateful to be in the final" [7].
Cirstea, 36, who upset world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka on May 9 and reached the semi-finals, is planning to retire later this year [10, 11, 12]. She praised her run saying, "I always said there's no expiration date for ambition and dreams. I think everyone can see that I absolutely love this sport" [10]. Cirstea stands one win away from cracking the top 20 rankings for the first time in her career [10, 11, 12].
In the semi-finals on May 14, Svitolina defeated Iga Swiatek to reach the final, while Gauff overcame Cirstea [7, 2, 8, 9]. Svitolina will be seeded No. 7 at the upcoming French Open starting May 24, where Gauff is also expected to compete [1, 4, 5, 6].
