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The 31-year-old won 6-4 6-7 (3-7) 6-2 in two hours and 52 minutes, securing her eighth WTA-level title on clay, while Gauff was condemned to back-to-back defeats in the Italian Open showpiece.

The American started on the front foot, breaking Svitolina's serve in the opening game of the final, before the pair exchanged breaks to see Gauff remain 3-2 up in the first set.

Svitolina then found her rhythm, with consecutive breaks of serve seeing her win the first, although she had to do so while saving six break points across her last two service games.

Both players looked shaky on serve again in the second, which saw a total of 10 break points, but they each only converted one – both at the end of the set – before Gauff edged the tie-break.

The 23-year-old, who lost to Jasmine Paolini in the 2025 final, could not carry her momentum into the third, where Svitolina converted break points in the fifth and seventh games, before clinching victory with a volley on her third match point.