Elina Svitolina queen of Rome for third time, Coco Gauff still knocked out

Elina Svitolina won the Internazionali BNL d’Italia for the third time in her career and celebrated the 20th Wta title of her career at the Foro Italico. Still bitter, however, the Roman final for Coco Gauff, already defeated last year by Jasmine Paolini. The Ukrainian won after a long battle that lasted two hours and fifty-two minutes, closing with a score of 6-4 6-7 6-2.

The beginning of the match smiles on Gauff, who immediately gets the break in the opening game after three consecutive opportunities. Svitolina reacted and restored the balance in the fourth game, but the American immediately went back ahead by snatching her service from her opponent again. The decisive moment of the first set comes between the seventh and tenth games: the Ukrainian cancels a total of six break points in two very delicate turnovers and, taking advantage of a drop by the American, places two counterbreaks that allow her to close the partial set at 6-4.

The second set also lives on balance and missed opportunities. Gauff manages to erase four break points in the first games, while Svitolina saves a complicated moment in the ninth game. The stretch seemed to come in the eleventh game, when the American found the break for the 6-5, but at the moment of serving for the set she stalled and conceded the immediate counterbreak. It thus comes down to the tie-break, dominated by Gauff for 7-3, which drags the final to the third set.

In the decisive partial the turning point comes from 2-2. After a balanced start, Svitolina took control of the exchange and the match, snatching serve from the American in the fifth and seventh games. Gauff tries to stay hooked in the match, but wastes three chances to recover one of the two break disadvantages. The Ukrainian did not let the opportunity slip away and, on her third match point, closed on 6-2, raising the Roman trophy again.