Top seed Svitolina triumphs in Rouen; wins first title in nearly two years
No. 1 seed Elina Svitolina collected her first title in nearly two years on Sunday, hoisting the trophy at the WTA 250 Open Capfinances Rouen Métropole.
Ukraine's Svitolina topped No. 3 seed Olga Danilovic of Serbia 6-4, 7-6(8) in a closely-contested 1-hour and 58-minute final on the indoor clay of Rouen, France.
In the thrilling conclusion of the second set, Svitolina saved two set points down 6-4 in the tiebreak before she converted her fourth championship point, prevailing over Danilovic in their first career meeting.
"I feel very good, it was a good tournament for me," Svitolina said after her victory. "Not an easy final, but very happy I could win all my matches in two sets and play good matches. I’m happy with the start of the season."
With the win, former World No. 3 Svitolina extends her incredible record in WTA singles finals to 18-4.
Back in the winner's circle: In May of 2023, less than two months into her comeback from maternity leave, Svitolina picked up the Strasbourg title. But she had not added to her title count after that -- until this week.
In fact, she had only reached one other final since then: a runner-up showing at Auckland in January of 2024, where she lost a close three-set battle to Coco Gauff.
But in her Rouen tournament debut, it all came together for Svitolina, who clinched the crown without dropping a set all week. Seven of her 18 titles have come on clay courts.
"I feel confident about my game, I trust my game," Svitolina said. "The way it was from the beginning of the tournament, some players played really well, but I stayed calm and kept fighting."
Match moments: Svitolina lost serve in the very first game of Sunday's final, but she regrouped and won four of the last five games to take the one-set lead. The opener concluded with a Svitolina backhand winner for a break at love.
But the first set was merely an appetizer for a gripping second set, where 18th-ranked Svitolina grabbed her first championship point at 6-5, 30-40 on Danilovic's serve.
World No. 39 Danilovic, who won her second career title last year in Guangzhou, swatted that chance away and eked into the tiebreak.
In the breaker, Danilovic led 4-2 at the changeover after a bold forehand winner down the line. The No. 3 seed notched two set points at 6-4 when Svitolina missed a service return wide.
However, errors by the Serb on those chances kept Svitolina in the hunt for a straight-sets win, and the top seed held two more championship points at 7-6 and 8-7. Danilovic, though, slammed winners to erase those as well.
Svitolina was unfazed, and she fired her sixth ace to queue up her fourth championship point at 9-8. The No. 1 seed converted that one with a forehand winner to seal her latest trophy, with husband Gael Monfils proudly watching from the stands.
Doubles final: Earlier on Sunday, Aleksandra Krunic of Serbia and Sabrina Santamaria of the United States won the Rouen doubles title. They upset No. 1 seeds Irina Khromacheva and Linda Noskova 6-0, 6-4 in just 63 minutes.
Krunic and Santamaria have a 7-1 win-loss record as a team. In the only other event they have ever teamed up for, they finished as Auckland runners-up this January.
This is Santamaria's third WTA doubles title, and her first in nearly two years. Krunic is up to seven WTA doubles titles, and this is her first since 2022.
