In tennis, Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina stunned World No. 4 Coco Gauff of the US, 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), 6-2 to win the women’s title at the Italian Open yesterday. The Ukrainian had earlier defeated World No. 2 Elena Rybakina and third-ranked Iga Swiatek in the competition. Svitolina fought back from a break down in the opening set and held her nerve in long rallies to take the opener.
Defending Roland Garros champion Gauff forced the match into a decider after winning the second-set tiebreak. But Svitolina sealed the contest with a double break in the final set, clinching victory on her third match point. In the men’s section, home favourite World No. 1 Jannik Sinner will face Norway’s Casper Ruud in the final today. The match will start at 8:30 PM IST. Sinner beat Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in the semifinal, while Ruud defeated Italy’s Luciano Darderi.