Coco Gauff defeated Alexandra Eala 6-0, 6-2, to book her spot in the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
There, she will meet Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, who beat Antonia Ruzic in her quarterfinal.
Svitolina beat Gauff at the Australian Open recently, dropping just three games in a convincing win.
Are you worried about Coco Gauff in 2026?
24 days later, Gauff has a shot at redemption in Dubai!
Coco Gauff can redeem herself by beating Elina Svitolina to reach the Dubai final
It’s fair to say Gauff’s 2026 season hasn’t exactly gone to plan.
After failing to defend the United Cup title with Team USA, Gauff suffered her heaviest Grand Slam defeat in years at the Australian Open.
Then, she lost to the world number 57, Elisabetta Cocciaretto, in the second round of the Qatar Open.
Travelling to Dubai with a 7-3 record for the season, Gauff needed to make a deep run.
Where will Coco Gauff be ranked at the end of the 2026 season?
And it didn’t start well, at all.
Gauff stumbled through her opener against Anna Kalinskaya before surviving match points in the third round against Elise Mertens.
Her form looked shaky, to say the least, as did her serve.
The American made 28 double faults across her first two matches, as her biggest weakness continued to trouble her.
But, seemingly out of nowhere, Gauff started to look like her former self in the quarterfinals, making light work of Eala.
Now comes the real test.
Can she put those Australian Open demons to rest and get one over on Svitolina?
Gauff was the favorite in Melbourne last month, but delivered a weak display, losing in less than an hour.
If she can right the wrongs of their Australian Open quarterfinal, perhaps that might spark life into Gauff’s 2026 campaign.
Coco Gauff and Elina Svitolina’s head-to-head record
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships – SF | – | – | – |
| 2026 Australian Open – QF | Elina Svitolina | Coco Gauff | 6-1, 6-2 |
| 2024 US Open – 3R | Coco Gauff | Elina Svitolina | 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 |
| 2024 ASB Classic – F | Coco Gauff | Elina Svitolina | 6-7, 6-3, 6-3 |
| 2021 Australian Open – 2R | Elina Svitolina | Coco Gauff | 6-4, 6-3 |
It won’t be easy, though.
There has been little to separate Gauff and Svitolina through four career meetings, as the pair are tied at two wins apiece.
And, Svitolina has enjoyed a better season than Gauff so far, winning the title in Auckland to start the year.
If you had to pick a favorite, the smart money would be on the Ukrainian…
Gauff will need to be at her best if she wants any chance of reaching the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
A repeat of what we saw in rounds two and three, and she’ll be out, no questions asked.
Another performance like the one she produced against Eala, though, and she’ll be in the final.
Coco Gauff’s WTA 1000 semifinal record
Gauff has played her fair share of WTA 1000 semifinals over the years.
But how many times has she advanced to the final?
- 2025 Wuhan Open SF [WIN] vs Jasmine Paolini, 6-4, 6-3
- 2025 China Open SF [LOSS] vs Amanda Anisimova, 1-6, 2-6
- 2025 Italian Open SF [WIN] vs Qinwen Zheng, 7-6, 4-6, 7-6
- 2025 Madrid Open SF [WIN] vs Iga Swiatek, 6-1, 6-1
- 2024 Wuhan Open SF [LOSS] vs Aryna Sabalenka, 6-1, 4-6, 4-6
- 2024 China Open SF [WIN] vs Paula Badosa, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
- 2024 Italian Open SF [LOSS] vs Iga Swiatek, 4-6, 3-6
- 2024 Indian Wells SF [LOSS] vs Maria Sakkari, 4-6, 7-6, 2-6
- 2023 China Open SF [LOSS] vs Iga Swiatek, 2-6, 3-6
- 2023 Cincinnati Open SF [WIN] vs Iga Swiatek, 7-6, 3-6, 6-4
- 2023 Dubai Tennis Championships SF [LOSS] vs Iga Swiatek, 4-6, 2-6
- 2021 Italian Open SF [LOSS] vs Iga Swiatek, 6-7, 3-6
Gauff has won five of her 12 WTA 1000 semifinal matches.
However, the losing record is deceiving, as she struggled earlier in her career.
In reality, she’s won four of her last six.
That should give her some confidence heading into her clash with Svitolina.
On the other side of the net, Svitolina has lost her last five WTA 1000 semifinals.
Only time will tell who will emerge victorious, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action.
Gauff will play Svitolina for a place in the Dubai Tennis Championships final on Friday, February 20.
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