Elina Svitolina signalled her French Open ambitions by battling past Coco Gauff 6-4 6-7 (3-7) 6-2 in the Italian Open final to lift her first clay-court title of the season ahead of Roland Garros.
The 31-year-old from Ukraine had already upset world No 2 Elena Rybakina and No 3 Iga Swiatek, before stunning No 4 Gauff in Saturday’s final to complete a remarkable week in the Italian capital.
Svitolina, who came back to the WTA Tour as a mum in 2023, will now bid to win her first Grand Slam title at the French Open, which gets under way in Paris on May 24.
