Iga Swiatek Takes Positives After Loss to Elina Svitolina at the Italian Open

Iga Swiatek‘s run at the Italian Open was cut short following her loss to Elina Svitolina in the semi-finals. The Polish star was seeking to reach her first final since September and this season. Swiatek now leaves Rome with her head held high following her first top 10 win in the quarter-finals.

Before arriving in Rome, Swiatek was struggling with form. She had exited the second round of the Miami Open, which forced her to part ways with Wim Fisette and then partner with Francisco Roig ahead of the clay season. There was no immediate success with new coach Roig, as she won just two matches after Stuttgart and Madrid.

Things got better for Swiatek at the Italian Open, after beating Elisabetta Cocciaretto in straight sets and crushing Naomi Osaka in the fourth round. She faced Jessica Pegula in the quarter-finals and triumphed over the American star 6-1, 6-2, which was her first top 10 win of the season and first top 5 victory since last November.

However, she started slowly in her semi-final clash against Svitolina, winning just 55 percent of her first-serve points and allowing Svitolina to maintain pressure through return depth and patience. Swiatek responded in the second set by increasing her baseline aggression and improving shot direction, which saw her force a decider.

In the third set, Svitolina earned back the momentum after an early break conversion and led 3-0 before Swiatek won her first game. The Ukrainian star claimed the victory 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to reach the final of the Italian Open. Speaking to Sport.pl after the loss, Swiatek highlighted that she has more confidence in her game on the court than during the Sunshine Double:

If I base it on how I’ve felt since the start of the season, even compared to the North American swing (Indian Wells-Miami), the Rome tournament is a step forward for me. Of course, I want more, and I would like to go even further in these tournaments, but I still enjoyed playing tennis. It wasn’t that obvious, and this conclusion should not be taken for granted.

Swiatek will hope to continue with Rome form at the French Open. Since her partnership with Roig, there have been noticeable improvements in her game. However, she will need to be at her best to have a chance of winning Roland Garros and to ensure she wins difficult matches, just like the one she lost to Svitolina.

Elina Svitolina looking forward to her second WTA 1000 final of the season

Elina Svitolina is in her 25th career WTA final on tour and sixth at the WTA 1000-level event. It’s her second WTA 1000 final of 2026 after the Dubai Tennis Championships in February. She has now had her last two meetings against Swiatek this season, and she’s the only active player to beat the Polish star on all three different surfaces on tour.

It’s Svitolina’s sixth top 10 win of the year and the 49th of her career. With Saturday’s (May 16) final against Coco Gauff, she will be one of the oldest players in history to reach WTA 1000 finals on both clay and hard court in a single season since Serena Williams in 2016. Speaking after her win against Iga Swiatek, she revealed that she’s looking forward to facing Gauff:

It’s amazing. The feeling is just unreal to be after so many years here again in the final. It’s such an amazing feeling to do it in such a great way, I think. Our last match was something out of this world. I’m going to rewatch that to find the ways. I’ll be ready for the final.

Gauff defeated Sorana Cirstea in the semi-finals of the Italian Open. Cirstea had overcome Aryna Sabalenka in the third round and enjoyed one of the best runs of her career at the tournament. However, Svitolina has defeated two top-5 opponents in Rome, including Elena Rybakina; a win over Gauff would make it the third.

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