The 2026 Italian Open is the final major clay-court tournament before the French Open.

There is an epic final set between Coco Gauff and Elina Svitolina. The match begins at 11 a.m. ET on Saturday, May 16.

Coco Gauff vs. Elina Svitolina Preview

Elina Svitolina has pulled off back-to-back massive upsets in Rome. She upset the World No. 2, Elena Rybakina, and the World No. 3, Iga Swiatek, in back-to-back matches. She now has a chance to keep going down the line and knock off the World No. 4, Coco Gauff, en route to the Italian Open title. Svitolina is a former champion at this event, having won it back-to-back years in 2017 and 2018. She is playing some of the best tennis of her life, having won the ASB Classic, made the Australian Open and Indian Wells semifinals, and the Dubai Championships final. Svitolina has been a consistently great player for a decade and is hoping to make her mark by adding one more WTA 1000 title to her career total.

Coco Gauff is seeking an Italian Open title after coming up just short last year. Gauff is an excellent player on clay, but doesn’t quite have the titles to match her performances. She has been to two French Open finals and won a title at Roland-Garros last year. However, she has reached two WTA 1000 finals on clay and has never won one. This is a big chance for Gauff to add another Masters 1000 title to her resume. She has three to her name on hardcourt, but not on any other surface. Gauff used a trip to the final in this tournament as a springboard to a major title at Roland-Garros last year. While it worked for her last year, just making the final in Rome, she would love to seal the deal with an Italian Open title in 2026.

Coco Gauff vs. Elina Svitolina Pick, Best Bet

My best bet for this final is for Coco Gauff and Elina Svitolina to reach a third set. These two excellent players should push each other and force a third set. These two have already met twice this year. Svitolina won both meetings, defeating Gauff in two sets at the Australian Open and beating her in three sets in Dubai. Gauff won the other two matches that these two have played since the start of 2024. All five matches they have played against each other have been hard-fought, so this will be their first-ever battle on clay. Svitolina has a longer history of success on this surface, but Gauff is the one who has reached the mountaintop and won at Roland-Garros.

Svitolina is much more of a clay specialist. While she has played well on hard courts this year, she has always been a threat on clay, especially here in Rome. Meanwhile, Gauff has a much higher ceiling overall but has always been better on hard courts. These two should be evenly matched on this surface and trade blows back and forth, gifting us a great three-set final.

Best Bet: Gauff-Svitolina Over 2.5 Sets (+125)