Elina Svitolina claimed her third Italian Open title on Saturday, defeating Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-2 in a grueling match that lasted nearly three hours. The Ukrainian's first WTA 1000 championship since her 2018 Rome triumph adds to her existing title from 2017, giving her 20th career title overall.

Gauff, who lost to Jasmine Paolini in last year's Rome final, was hoping to become the first American to win the tournament since 2016. The third-ranked American started brilliantly, breaking Svitolina and holding to love, while also having a chance to go 5-2 up in the opening set.

Svitolina fended off three break points and won four straight games to take the opener. Despite struggling on her serve throughout the second set, Gauff forced a tiebreak to level the match. However, the seventh-ranked Ukrainian dominated the decider, breaking twice before sealing victory on her third match point with a volley at the net.