Elina Svitolina set multiple historic achievements after winning the WTA 1000 tournament in Rome. The Ukrainian became the oldest player in tennis history to defeat three top-5 opponents at a single tournament.
According to Suspilne Sport, Svitolina defeated American Coco Gauff in three sets in the final.
On her way to the title, the Ukrainian also beat Elena Rybakina and Iga Swiatek — the world’s No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 players respectively.
With that run, Svitolina surpassed Serena Williams’ previous achievement and became the oldest player ever to eliminate three top-5 opponents at one event.
The final against Gauff was Svitolina’s longest match in Rome, lasting 2 hours and 52 minutes.
All of her matches against top-5 opponents at the tournament went to three sets.
One of the key statistics of Svitolina’s campaign was her performance on break points.
According to Opta Ace, the Ukrainian finished the tournament having saved 59 break points — the highest total recorded at a WTA 1000 event since at least 2021.
No other player during that span has even reached the 50 break-point mark.
Svitolina’s toughest match came in the quarterfinal against Rybakina, where she saved 16 of 20 break points.
In the semifinal against Swiatek, she saved 11 break points, and another 14 in the final against Gauff.
After the victory, Svitolina said she was proud of how she managed both the nerves and the physical demands throughout the tournament.
Her next event will be Roland Garros, with the main draw starting on May 24.
