Svitolina sees off Gauff to win Italian Open; Sinner in men's title showdown
ROME, Italy — Elina Svitolina won the Italian Open on Saturday (Sunday Manila time) after beating Coco Gauff, 6-4, 6-7 (3/7), 6-2, to claim her third Rome title, while Jannik Sinner set a date with Casper Ruud in the men's final.
Ukraine's Svitolina had not claimed a WTA 1000 title since her last victory at the Foro Italico eight years ago but prevailed over the ever-erratic Gauff to claim her 20th tournament triumph.
Saturday's win over Gauff was her third in a row against a player in the top four of the world rankings — including Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina — ahead of the French Open, which starts next weekend.
"Of course it gives me a lot of confidence going into Roland Garros," Svitolina told reporters.
"I'm very proud of the effort, of the intensity that I've been able to put in to beat those players."
American star Gauff was aiming to become the first American to win in the Italian capital since Serena Williams in 2016, but the problems with her serve which have so long dogged her game began to resurface on center court.
Her serve was broken three times by Svitolina on her way to losing the first set, thanks in part to four double-faults, two of which came in the game which allowed her opponent to move ahead in the match.
At 5-4 down, she hit a bizarre second serve that flew into the wrong side of the court, before gifting Svitolina the advantage by another double-fault at set point.
A livid Gauff then smacked herself on the head with her own racket before storming down the tunnel, emerging shortly afterwards to have a heated discussion with her coach Jean-Christophe Faurel.
That talking to seemed to turn things around as Gauff got a handle on her serve in a hard-fought second set which featured some fun rallies, particularly as she won the tie-break.
But two more breaks of serve cost Gauff her first tournament win of the season with her French Open title defense.
"I think this week I experienced all the ups and downs of a tournament that can bring you before a Grand Slam of I've been down, had the lead, lost the lead, I've been in the final, been down match point," said Gauff.
"I think I've experienced every scenario that can prepare me for Roland Garros."
Sinner in title showdown
Sinner, for his part, finished off Daniil Medvedev in Saturday's closing chapter of an enthralling last-four clash, which was paused overnight due to rain in Rome.
The World No. 1 could claim a record-extending sixth consecutive Masters 1000 title on Sunday thanks to a 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 win, which had almost everything over the course of its two-and-a-half hours.
Sinner had to have treatment on his right thigh and even vomited during Friday night's leg of the semifinal as Medvedev gave the Italian by far his toughest test of the tournament.
But he looked in much better spirits before the restart as he joked and played football with his coaching team during his warm-up in the bowels of the centre court arena, just as warm spring sunshine started to shine after a few days of volatile weather.
"I think it's normal that not every day we feel 100 percent," Sinner told reporters.
"I tried to play with the best possible energy I have. Yesterday brought me to a point where I was up today. Today I'm very happy that I finished it."
The match was scheduled to restart at 3.00pm local time (1300GMT) but was again delayed by an hour both due to further downfalls and the men's doubles semifinal, won by Sinner's compatriots Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori.
A 4-2 lead in the third set for Sinner when play was stopped was too much for Medvedev to overcome, and the 24-year-old sealed his 33rd straight win in Masters 1000 tournaments.
Ruud, who will be back in the world's top 20 on Monday, gets a chance for revenge for a brutal hammering against Sinner here last year after dismantling Luciano Darderi 6-1, 6-1 on Saturday, another match interrupted by heavy rain.
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