Coco Gauff will compete in the 2026 Italian Open final for the second year in a row. At age 22, she’s the youngest American to reach the Italian Open final in back-to-back years since Venus Williams in 1998 and 1999.
During the Italian Open final last year, she fell to Jasmine Paolini. Now, after defeating Romania’s Sorana Cirstea 6-4,6-3, she’ll take on Ukrainian veteran Elina Svitolina for the title on May 16.
After losing to Aryna Sabalenka in the Miami Open final in March, Gauff is making her second WTA 1000 final appearance in Rome and her 16th career final.
GettyUSA’s Coco Gauff celebrates after winning against Romania’s Sorana Cirstea at the 2026 Italian Open.
Svitolina feels ready for her match against Gauff. “I know what to expect from her game. I think she knows my game, as well. It’s going to be a big battle,” she said.
While Gauff is 0-2 against Svitolina this year, the 22-year-old is hoping to clinch her first-ever title at Stadio Centrale. If fans are looking to see Gauff’s boyfriend, Jalen Sera, in the stands cheering her on, however, they will be disappointed.
Coco Gauff’s Boyfriend Jalen Sera Remains in Atlanta During the Italian Open
Sera posted a video on his Instagram Stories that showed him at Injury Reserve’s show at Purgatory at The Masquerade in Atlanta on May 13. With the French Open just around the corner, maybe Sera is saving his international travel for Roland Garros.
Gauff and Sera, a musician, keep a very low profile. However, they will celebrate three years together in June.
GettyCoco Gauff has been dating Jalen Sera for nearly three years.
Gauff highlighted his quiet support while speaking to E! News in August 2025. “Honestly, after a good match, I just talk to my boyfriend, my friends, everyone cause I’m in a good mood,” she said. “When I lose, I would say just my boyfriend ’cause he is the only one that can take me and my mood after a loss.”
While the couple keeps their romance out of the spotlight, Sera’s support means the world to Gauff. “He’s always telling me to trust the process,” she noted. “Just know that I’ve already accomplished a lot and there’s no need to be so negative.
“That’s kind of what my whole team, my parents, everybody says. I’m someone that can criticize myself a lot, so I just try to make sure that I stay positive.”
Coco Gauff Calls How Tennis Is Scored ‘Brutal at Times’
The two-time major champion addressed the extremely unique way tennis is scored after punching her ticket to the final. “Yeah, it is very brutal at times, and also favourable at times. I think the uniqueness about our sport is literally it’s not over until it’s over,” she told reporters.
“If there’s anything I would change about the scoring? Maybe, like, the way the games are 15-Love, 30-Love. That doesn’t make any sense to me. It’s so hard to explain that to people. It’s 15-30, but it goes to 40. Why?
“I don’t know, 1-0, 1-All situation. At least make it incrementally. It should be 45 not 40 so yeah.”
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