Elina Svitolina and Coco Gauff will fight it out for the Italian Open title on Saturday.
Svitolina has enjoyed an incredible campaign so far in Rome, with wins over four-time Roland Garros champion Iga Swiatek and world number two Elena Rybakina.
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Gauff, on the other hand, has earned victories against Mirra Andreeva and Iva Jovic en route to the championship match.
The two finalists have met five times before on the WTA Tour, with the Ukrainian leading the head-to-head 3-2.
Ahead of their bout, Svitolina was asked about her upcoming opponent.
Elina Svitolina previews her match with Coco Gauff in Rome
Speaking in an Italian Open press conference, Svitolina said: “Yeah, we played many times.
“I know what to expect from her game. I think she knows my game, as well. It’s going to be a big battle.
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“I mean, for me, it’s always about now recovery. I had good win, so for me it’s important just to stay on track, stay on the same way, work on few tactical things against her.
“I think it will be important for me to have a clear vision on that, try to execute the best way I can.”
Speaking about her own form, Svitolina said: “I’m just trying to pick up a good form, trying to work on few things, trying to face the difficult situations in a decent way.
“I think it’s been going well for me. For me it’s important to improve myself, improve my game, my mentality, to be at the top, and to play these kind of players and beat them. That’s always been a goal for me. I’m happy that it’s working now. I try to really build on that.”
Elina Svitolina says it will ‘mean the world’ to win the title
Svitolina is a two-time former champion at the Italian Open, having gone back-to-back in Rome in 2017 and 2018.
“[It] will mean the world for me,” said the 31-year-old. “But I try not to put any kind of pressure on me. I have nothing really to lose.
“Especially like for coming back after giving birth, having all this journey, I would never dream to play in such a high level, beat and challenge top players, have a chance to play in semis and finals. Yeah, just couldn’t dream about a better year.”
Svitolina came out on top in the last tour-level clash with Gauff, which came in the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
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