Coco Gauff will have the chance to earn revenge against Elina Svitolina at the Dubai Tennis Championships nearly a month after losing to her at the Australian Open.
Gauff lost to Svitolina in the quarterfinals at Melbourne Park, with the Ukrainian dominating her in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2.
The American has enjoyed a promising campaign so far in Dubai, having dropped just one set to Elise Mertens in her second match.
In the quarterfinals, Gauff cruised past crowd favourite Alex Eala, defeating the Filipina star 6-0, 6-2.
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Now, the 21-year-old has reflected on her last loss to Svitolina ahead of the Australian Open rematch.
Coco Gauff previews her match with Elina Svitolina in Dubai
In her post-match press conference, Gauff said: “Yeah, Elina for me in Australia, I kind of just put that behind [me].
“I felt like, yeah, she played well that match, she definitely did, but I also feel like I beat myself up a little bit that match.
“I think it was a combination of both. Yeah, it’s not easy. Kudos to her.
Are you worried about Coco Gauff in 2026?
“So yeah, I think for me, I can learn from that when I’m maybe starting the match off slow, how to combat that. I did learn from it.
“I feel like these last couple matches I haven’t started off the best and was able to do that.”
The last time Coco Gauff beat Elina Svitolina on the WTA Tour
Prior to their clash at the 2026 Australian Open, Gauff and Svitolina’s most recent match was at the 2024 US Open.
There, Gauff triumphed, coming back from a set down against Svitolina in the round of 32 to take a 2-1 lead in the head-to-head.
They had met earlier that season in the Auckland final, which Gauff also won in three sets.
Gauff’s first meeting with Svitolina came back in 2021 at the Australian Open, where the latter won 6-4, 6-3.
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