Ukraine’s top tennis player Svitolina prevails over Gauff in dramatic clash to advance to Dubai final
Elina Svitolina (photo: Australian Open)
Ukraine’s top tennis player and world No. 9 Elina Svitolina fought for a place in the final of the prestigious WTA 1000 tournament in Dubai (UAE). Her opponent was world No. 4 — American star Coco Gauff.
RBC-Ukraine reports on the course of the match and the final result.
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WTA 1000, Dubai, semifinal
Elina Svitolina (Ukraine) – Coco Gauff (US) – 6:4, 6:7, 6:4
Before the match
This was Svitolina’s 13th career semifinal at WTA 1000 tournaments, as well as her fifth semifinal appearance in Dubai. The Ukrainian was fighting for her third final at the tournament.
It was the fifth career meeting between Svitolina and Gauff. The two players had previously faced each other four times, splitting those matches with two wins each. Their most recent encounter took place in January in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, where the Ukrainian claimed victory.
How the match unfolded
Elina Svitolina traditionally struggles at the start of her matches in Dubai. Even against lower-ranked opponents, she has faced early difficulties. The first set against Coco Gauff was no exception. Elina dropped her serve first and allowed her opponent to pull ahead, 1–3.
However, the Ukrainian quickly regained her composure. She broke the American back to level the score at 3–3, then secured another decisive break that ultimately determined the set. The opening set went to Svitolina, 6–4.
The second set was more competitive and much tougher for both players. Svitolina took an early 2–0 lead, but Gauff recovered. The battle remained evenly matched, with the players trading games. A particularly challenging moment for Elina came in the 12th game on her serve. Trailing 5–6, she saved two set points and pushed the set into a tiebreak.
The tiebreak turned into an extremely tense and marathon battle. The players contested 28 rallies. Svitolina had four match points at 6–5, 10–9, 12–11, and 13–12 but was unable to convert any of them. Ultimately, she lost the tiebreak 13–15, and with it the second set.
The third set closely resembled the second, as the opponents stayed level heading into the decisive moments. At 4–4, Gauff nearly broke Svitolina in a remarkably long game that saw the score tied eight times. But Svitolina held serve and then captured the decisive break on her opponent’s serve to seal the set 6–4.
This epic battle between two stars of world tennis lasted more than three hours.
Who and when Svitolina will face in the final
On Saturday, February 21, Elina Svitolina will face another American representative — world No. 5 Jessica Pegula — in the final.
The players have previously met eight times, with Svitolina winning three of those encounters, including their most recent match in March last year at the Indian Wells Open.
Overall, this will be Svitolina’s 24th career final on tour, where she will attempt to claim her 20th title.
This year, Svitolina has already played in one final: in January, she won the title at the tournament in Auckland.
She will also compete in her third final at the tournament in Dubai, having previously lifted the trophy there in 2017 and 2018.
Earlier, we reported on Svitolina’s position and those of other Ukrainian players in the updated WTA rankings.
