Coco Gauff apologises to her coaches after losing to Elina Svitolina in the Italian Open final
Coco Gauff’s second WTA Tour final of 2026 ended in defeat, as she lost a three set battle to Elina Svitolina at the Italian Open.
Gauff lost the first set, but produced a trademark fight back in the second set to force a decider. The American ultimately was outplayed by Svitolina, however, and the Ukrainian ran out the winner by scoreline of 6-4, 6-7, 6-2.
The American has now lost two WTA Tour final back-to-back, following her defeat to Aryna Sabalenka in the final of the Miami Open earlier this year.
Despite her difficult defeat, Gauff remained typically magnanimous in her post-match interview, when collecting her runners-up trophy.
“First I want to congratulate Elina. Another tough battle between us. I’m on the otherside but hopefully one of these day I can get over that. You had an incredible tournament, a lot of long matches against great players, so congratulations to you and your team,” she said.
More Coco Gauff news
Italian Open: What ranking points and prize money did Elina Svitolina and Coco Gauff earn?
Coco Gauff’s ‘magical’ quality highlighted as she chases Serena Williams record
“Always very nice on and off the court. Hopefully see you at the French Open final, that will be nice. Next, I’d like to thank god and my lord and saviour Jesus Christ. Always keeping me covered ad just a source of calmness for me.”
Gauff then thanked her team and offered them words of apologies for her performance in the Rome final.
“I would like to thank my team. I’m sorry I couldn’t play a little better in some moments today, but it’s been a great two weeks with you guys. I feel the momentum going into French Open. A lot of lessons learned from this match, but we keep going and I appreciate you guys.”
Gauff’s trophy drought has reached its sixth month, since her victory at the Wuhan Open in October 2025, but there are plenty of reasons to be positive for the American.
She showed tremendous battle throughout the tournament and could have suffered an early exit were it not for her incredible mentality on the court.
Gauff needed three sets to win three of her matches in Rome and even faced match points during her match against Iva Jovic in the round of 16.
The American will still be confident she can have a deep run at Roland Garros this year, where she is looking to defend her Grand Slam title from 2025.
Gauff is an excellent clay court player and no one will want to play her at the Paris event, where she has an astounding record at the Grand Slam.
She holds an 84% win rate at Roland Garros, which is far and away her best winning percentage at a Grand Slam. She has reached the quarter-final or later in her last five tournaments in Paris, so she will be confident she can be a real danger at the event.
