Coco Gauff is through to the final of the Italian Open for the second year in a row.
Gauff, who fell to Jasmine Paolini in last season’s championship match, beat 26th seed Sorana Cirstea in the semifinals to advance.
The American won in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, over Cirstea, who had previously knocked world number one Aryna Sabalenka.
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Gauff is now into her second final of the season, having already suffered a near miss at the Miami Open.
En route to the title bout in Rome, the two-time major champion has just set a new WTA record.
Coco Gauff surpasses Iga Swiatek’s incredible record on clay
Gauff’s win over Cirstea marked her 34th victory at a clay-court WTA 1000 competition.
Aged 22, Gauff now has the most such wins before turning 23 since the format’s inception, surpassing the previous record holder, Iga Swiatek, according to Opta Ace.
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Swiatek tallied a total of 33-match wins at clay-court WTA 1000 events, and now Gauff has just under a year to extend her new record of 34.
Mirra Andreeva, who recently turned 19, already has 21 such victories to her name and is on track to break the record.
Andreeva ranks third all-time, while Victoria Azarenka and Caroline Wozniacki rank fourth and fifth with 18 and 16, respectively.
Coco Gauff’s campaign at the 2026 Italian Open so far
Gauff began her campaign at the 2026 edition of the Italian Open with a straightforward win over Tereza Valentova, but things quickly got difficult for the US number one.
She was forced to come back from a set down in three consecutive matches, the first of which came against Solana Sierra.
Then, in the round of 16 and the quarterfinals, Gauff conceded the opening set versus both compatriot Iva Jovic and Andreeva, but ultimately came out on top in the two clashes.
Following her triumph over Cirstea, Gauff will now take on either Swiatek or Elina Svitolina in the final of the Italian Open.
A victory would see Gauff win her first title since the 2025 Wuhan Open.
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