Elina Svitolina won her third Italian Open crown after defeating Coco Gauff in a three-set thriller.

The 31-year-old won 6-4 6-7 (3-7) 6-2 in two hours and 52 minutes, securing her eighth WTA-level title on clay, while Gauff was condemned to back-to-back defeats in the Italian Open showpiece.

The American started on the front foot, breaking Svitolina's serve in the opening game of the final, before the pair exchanged breaks to see Gauff remain 3-2 up in the first set.

Svitolina then found her rhythm, with consecutive breaks of serve seeing her win the first, though she had to do so while saving six break points across her last two service games.

Both players looked shaky on serve again in the second, which saw a total of 10 break points, though they each only converted one – both at the end of the set – before Gauff edged the tie-break.

The 23-year-old, who lost to Jasmine Paolini in the 2025 final, could not carry her momentum into the third, where Svitolina converted break points in the fifth and seventh games, before clinching victory with a volley on her third match point.

31, 235 – Since the Tier format's introduction in 1990, Elina Svitolina (31 years 235) is now the oldest player to claim three WTA top five wins at a single event, surpassing Serena Williams (Miami 2013). Deserved.#IBI26 | @InteBNLdItalia @WTA pic.twitter.com/BSFiZeLvo7

— OptaAce (@OptaAce) May 16, 2026

Data Debrief: Svitolina digs deep in Italy

Since Opta began recording this data in 2021, Svitolina (58) is the first player to save 50+ break points at a single WTA-1000 event.

Svitolina (31) is just the second player aged 30 or older in the Open Era to win the Italian Open, after Serena Williams (2013-14, 2016).

Since the format's introduction in 1990, Svitolina is now the oldest player to claim three WTA top-five wins at a single event, surpassing Williams (Miami 2013).

Among players to begin their career in the Open Era, Svitolina is just the second player to win each of her first eight WTA event finals on clay, after Anna Smashnova.