Elina Svitolina will contest the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships final after a grueling three-hour, three-minute semi-final victory over Coco Gauff, 6-4, 6-7 (13-15), 6-4, on Friday. The Ukrainian’s win sets up a clash with American Jessica Pegula, who earlier defeated compatriot Amanda Anisimova in the other semi-final.
The match against Gauff, the world number four, proved a punishing test of endurance for Svitolina, with both players battling through multiple deuce games and extended rallies. Svitolina, a two-time Dubai champion, secured the first set, but Gauff mounted a fierce comeback in the second, saving four match points in a dramatic tiebreak before ultimately taking it 15-13. Despite the missed opportunities, Svitolina regained her composure in the deciding set, breaking Gauff to lead 5-4 and then serving out the match.
“I’m speechless after that fight. I was really trying to set myself out there, playing as if there was no tomorrow,” Svitolina said after the match, as reported by The Sportstar.
Pegula’s path to the final was also hard-fought. After a disappointing first set, losing 1-6, she recovered to defeat Anisimova 6-4, 6-3. Pegula had to overcome a break of serve early in the second set to turn the match around.
Svitolina’s victory marks her first WTA 1000 final appearance since 2018, when she won the Premier Mandatory event in Rome. This is also her second consecutive win over Gauff, having previously defeated the American in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open last month.
Elsewhere, in the Qatar Open, world number one Carlos Alcaraz continued his undefeated start to 2026, defeating Andrey Rublev 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 to reach the final. Alcaraz, who has already secured his first Grand Slam title this year at the Australian Open, has now won eleven consecutive matches.
