Elina Svitolina has won the Italian Open after defeating Coco Gauff in the final. The Ukrainian thus adds a resounding triumph to her recent winning streak against Elena Rybakina and Iga Swiatek, demonstrating a solid and consistent level of play that returns her to the top of women's tennis.
The precise tactic: how Svitolina neutralized the rival's power 🎾
The match analysis reveals a clear strategy: Svitolina constantly varied the direction of her shots, forcing Gauff to move out of her comfort zone. Her deep returns and use of sliced angles broke the American's rhythm. Additionally, the Ukrainian maintained a high percentage of first serves, limiting her opponent's attack options and exploiting her weaknesses at the net.
The survival manual for tops: how Svitolina made their beds 😏
After seeing Svitolina dispatch three tops in a row, an idea lingers in the locker room: maybe the ranking is overrated. While the favorites sweat to win a set, the Ukrainian invites them to a tennis clinic with no right to complain. If this continues, we will soon see the number ones asking for an appointment to lose to her.