Elina Svitolina has continued her trophy-winning start to the season by outlasting a below-par Simona Halep 4-6, 7-5, 6-1, in the final of the Italian Open.
The clash at the Foro Italia featured two of the most intriguing players on the tour this year. Halep entered the final on a 10-match winning streak after defending her title at the Madrid Open last week. Meanwhile, Svitolina is so far the only player this season to win three singles titles after triumphing in Dubai, Taiwan and Istanbul.
Throughout the clash, both players had to deal with their own personal struggles. Halep contended with a minor ankle issue following a slip on the court as well as her fading mentality. Meanwhile, Svitolina appeared to be struggling with pain surrounding her left hip area. Regardless of those issues, it was Svitolina’s mentality that prevailed.
“It was an amazing day for me today and throughout this week I have enjoyed (playing in Rome).” Said Svitolina.
“It is very inspiring to play in front of Italians. It’s always so loud and so cosy to play.” She later added.
Initially, it appeared as if Halep would cruise to the title. A series of long exchanges between the two players concluded with the sixth seed coming out on top as she secured a double break for a 5-2 lead. Svitolina managed to retrieve one of those breaks as Halep tumbled on the court, jarring her ankle, but it was too late to prevent the outcome of the opening set.
Svitolina’s resilience eventually rewarded her as Halep’s mental game began to fall apart. A roller coaster second set saw the momentum constantly change between them both. Ultimately, it was some lacklustre serving from the world No.4 that resulted in her downfall. Halep’s winning service rate of 41% allowed an increasingly confident Svitolina to dictate the rallies and forced her opponent to produce the error. This was illustrated on set point when a sluggish Halep serve was firmly returned with interest by Svitolina to take the match into a decider.
Despite being the more inexperienced player, Svitolina’s rise continued as her opponent became more despondent. It was unclear as to what resulted in Halep’s decline. Tiredness? Worries about her ankle from earlier in the match? Nevertheless, the Ukrainian stuck to her well constructed game plan.
An error-stricken Halep service game guided Svitolina to a 2-0 lead in the decider. The eighth seed had her opponent right where she wanted her and there was no chance she would relinquish her control. Halep’s erractic shot-making continued as Svitolina charged towards a game away from the biggest title in her life. Missing out on two championship points, it was third time lucky for the 22-year-old as a serve out wide forced another error from the Madrid Open champion.
“It’s been a great final. Sorry guys for the third set. It was a little bit tough for me to go through.” Halep admitted after the match.
Touching the Rome trophy for the first time in her career, a comical moment occurred when the top of the trophy fell off during Svitolina’s post-match interview. A moment that was laughed off by tournament officials.
It’s okay @ElinaSvitolina, rookie mistake 😂 #ibi17 pic.twitter.com/r0N87KzlX6
— WTA (@WTA) 21 May 2017
Svitolina is the first player this year to win four titles on the WTA Tour, strengthening her first place in the Porsche Race to Singapore. She will also return to the world’s top-10 when the updated rankings are published on Monday.
With the French Open approaching, Svitolina has now defeated every player ranked in the world’s top-10, apart from Agnieszka Radwanska.
