Svitolina outlasts Swiatek to reach first Rome final in eight years, beating Nos. 2 and 3 in 24 hours

Ukrainian No. 7 seed Elina Svitolina reached her first Rome WTA 1000 final since she won the title in 2018 with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 win over Polish No. 4 seed Iga Świątek on Campo Centrale, the 31-year-old following her three-set defeat of world No. 2 Elena Rybakina the previous night with a victory over the world No. 3 in two hours and 15 minutes — both of them ground out in under 24 hours, both decided by margins that came down to nerve at the decisive moments.

Svitolina outlasts Swiatek to reach first Rome final in eight years, beating Nos. 2 and 3 in 24 hours. Ukrainian No. 7 seed Elina Svitolina reached her first Rome WTA 1000 final since she won the title in 2018 with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 win over Polish No. 4 seed Iga Świątek on Campo Centrale, the 31-year-old following her three-set defeat of world No. 2 Elena Rybakina the previous night with a victory over the world No. 3 in two hours and 15 minutes — both of them ground out in under 24 hours, both decided by margins that came down to nerve at the decisive moments. “It’s amazing”, Svitolina said on court. “The feeling is just unreal to be after so many years here again in the final. It’s such an amazing feeling to do it in such a great way, I think.” Asked about Sunday’s final against Coco Gauff, who had beaten Sorana Cirstea earlier in the da...