Eight years is a long time and try to think of everything you’ve done between now and then. For some, that’s long enough to win a WTA 1000, take a year and a half off to have a child, return to the tour unranked, grind back up from the ITF World Tour and then win a WTA 1000 again. That’s the second career Elina Svitolina has written.
On Saturday, Svitolina won the Internazionali BNL d’Italia for the third time in a thrilling 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-2 epic over Coco Gauff. However, the margin of her fortnight only grows when you look at the path she took to get there. In the final three rounds of the draw, she took out Elena Rybakina (No. 2), Iga ลwiฤ tek (No. 3), and Gauff (No. 4), all in three sets, all within the span of four days. No player on the WTA Tour in 2026 has produced a more demanding championship run.
The final itself hinged on one number: break point conversion. Gauff created 17 chances and converted three (18%). Svitolina had 15 and converted six (40%). That gap tells the story more cleanly than any narrative does. Gauff, who had already logged three three-set matches through the draw, had the firepower, but couldn’t cash in when it counted. On the other side of the court stood Svitolina, ice-cold on the important points and running away with a third set that wasn’t particularly close.
The win is her 20th WTA singles title, making her the first Ukrainian player in the Open Era to reach that milestone. She’s now 8-0 in WTA clay-court finals across her career. At 31, she is the oldest player to win three or more titles at a single WTA 1000 event, edging past Serena Williams.
To wrap up the tournament, Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider defeated Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Cristina Bucศa to win the doubles title.
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Texas A&M Gets It Done in Athens
College tennis does not get the attention it deserves, and Sunday’s women’s final in Athens is a good reason why it should.
The No. 4-seeded Texas A&M Aggies defeated No. 2 Auburn 4-1 at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex to claim their second national title in three years. The match was interrupted by a lightning delay midway through singles, which did nothing to break A&M’s concentration. When play resumed, the Aggies closed it out methodically.
Three matches came in first: Violeta Martinez on court five, Lexington Reed on court four before senior Daria Smetannikov sealed it at No. 6 singles with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 win over Ava Esposito. Smetannikov, from New Jersey, was named tournament MVP, a recognition of what she delivered all week at the six position.
What makes this A&M program worth paying attention to is their consistency. Three consecutive national final appearances, two titles, all while going through players who graduate and move on. The Aggies beat No. 1 seed Georgia 4-3 in an extremely tight semifinal on Saturday to even get to the final. That win over the defending champion, on the road in Athens, might have been the harder result to get, in my opinion.
Oh, and things got a little tense after:
What to Watch: Roland Garros Qualifying
Qualifying at Roland Garros is underway now through Friday, and the women’s draw has a few names worth tracking if you have any interest in how players fall in and out of the top 100.
The headliners are Bianca Andreescu, Sloane Stephens and Karolina Plรญลกkovรก โ three players who were, at various points, legitimate Grand Slam contenders, and who now find themselves needing to win three consecutive matches on clay just to get into the main draw. Andreescu, the 2019 US Open champion, opens against French wildcard Daphnรฉe Mpetshi Perricard. Stephens, a 2017 US Open winner and 2018 Roland Garros finalist, is also in the mix. Plรญลกkovรก, the former world No. 1, rounds out the trio of proven names with a lot left to prove about where their games stand.
The top seed in the women’s qualifying is Thailand’s Lanlana Tararudee, ranked No. 99 and coming off a win over Andreescu earlier this year in Austin. Her draw opens against Greece’s Despina Papamichail.
France has 14 players attempting to qualify, headlining the draw with the most entries of course. Kristina Mladenovic faces Wang Xiyu. Margaux Rouvroy, one of the more promising young French names, draws third-seeded Ashlyn Krueger in the first round, which is about as rough a start as you can get.
The main draw gets underway on Sunday, with the matchups getting released Thursday. At that point, the conversation shifts to whether Coco Gauff can back up last year’s title, whether Aryna Sabalenka has enough clay-court form to challenge for No. 1, and whether Svitolina, heading in as the No. 7 seed and on the form of her life, can sustain what she’s built over the last two weeks.
We’ll discuss the draw and my infamous predictions next week!
On to links!
This Week in Women’s Tennis
The University of Arkansas reinstated their tennis programs after brutal backlash and donations from the local community.
Victoria Mboko has hired Wim Fissette for a trial coaching partnership.
In her final year, Sorana Cรฎrstea is finding new heights, finally breaking the Top 20 for the first time.
Great work by Hard Court for this piece with Ayan Broomfield:
Congratulations to Coco Gauff, who was named as one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Sports 2026.
Something to keep an eye on this week:
Jessica Pegula and Amanda Anisimova lead the field at next month’s 2026 HSBC Championships.
Tweet of the Week
Billie Jean King keeps getting more iconic, adding college grad to her resume:
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Five at The IX: Rome Week 2
Q. Considering all you’ve been through over the past eight years, does it feel like the most meaningful big title you’ve won?
ELINA SVITOLINA: I had different titles in different period of time. It’s tough to say which one was the toughest. Every title had its own story.
This one is I think one of the toughest draws that I had in a tournament. The way that I’ve been playing I think is, yeah, I’m very proud of the way that I’ve been handling myself and handling the nerves and being consistent. I think it’s important to throughout the year show good consistency. That’s the way that I’m aiming to be. I’m happy that my season been like this from the beginning of this year.
Q. If someone would have told you when you were pregnant that you were coming back to win this title, come back to the top 10, would you have believed this person or not?
ELINA SVITOLINA: Well, I think I would sign for it, for sure. When I was coming back, for me was important just to give myself a good chance to play the highest level. I was never thinking about that I could come back. In a way it came later. I think it was by the stages. First I wanted to be back in top hundred because I was starting from zero, then it was top 30 to be seeded.
Then from last year I started to think, okay, my level I think is there. I need to be more consistent, more strong physically to be more consistent, then I can have a chance to go to top 10 because I was playing already good level.
Of course, you need to believe it to make it happen. Slowly, little by little, I was believing in it. Of course, very proud of the effort, very proud of also coming back from the surgery. I had a surgery two years ago, which was not easy. First one for me, too.
Yeah, I had some ups and downs with little stops here and there. Generally I’m just very proud of the way that I’ve been coming back and just giving it my everything to perform at the highest level.
Q. Roland Garros is in one week. What will be your mindset for the defense of this title?
COCO GAUFF: Yeah, there’s a lot of positives I can take from this tournament and a lot I can learn from. I’m sure the pressure will be there.
I don’t know. I think this week I experienced all the ups and downs of a tournament that can bring you before a Grand Slam of I’ve been down, had the lead, lost the lead, I’ve been in the final, been down match point. I think I’ve experienced every scenario that can prepare me for Roland Garros.
Hopefully I can actually learn from each scenario and do better.
Q. Speaking to a few players who have said they’ve heard from other players that they’ve used AI, ChatGPT to scout opponents, their strengths and weaknesses, decide how to play matches. How does that sound from your perspective? I imagine you’re not someone who does that.
IGA SWIATEK: First of all, I buy stats. I would rather use this pro tools that they are using because I’m working with, like, analytics. I get the service from them. I don’t feel there’s need.
I don’t know who’s using ChatGPT, but I’m pretty sure top players are using the same brand as I use or other firms that are specializing in this.
I guess they use AI for sure, but I don’t know how. I wouldn’t honestly go and, like, search for the stats myself because you can get quite a lot. It’s the other thing, like, using just the proper information and not making too many, not like it being too chaotic on the court for you.
I’d rather my coach does it, then he tells me the most important stuff and that’s it. I’m using ChatGPT for other stuff, but not this.
Q. You’re getting close to the top 20 again. How much would it mean to you to get into the top 20?
SORANA CIRSTEA: It would mean a lot because I feel I’ve put in the work. Of course, it will be like a celebration of all this work and all the sacrifices I’ve made.
Again, in the same time I’m trying not to be defined by a number. If I’m 21 or 17 at the end of the day my life won’t change. It’s the same thing.
Of course you want because we are all competitive, we’re ambitious. We want to improve and we want to get better. Of course, it’s something on my mind. At the same time I don’t want to put pressure on myself. Also I don’t want to have ranking goals. I’d rather have goals regarding my game where I can improve and see how far I can go.
Mondays: Soccer
By: Annie Peterson, @AnnieMPeterson, AP Womenโs Soccer
Tuesdays: Tennis
By: Joey Dillon, @JoeyDillon, Freelance Tennis Writer
Wednesdays: Basketball
By: Howard Megdal, @HowardMegdal, The IX Sports
Thursdays: Golf
By: Marin Dremock, @MDremock, The IX Sports
Fridays: Hockey
By: @TheIceGarden, The Ice Garden
Saturdays: Gymnastics
By: Jessica Taylor Price, @jesstaylorprice, Freelance Writer