Gauff vs Svitolina: Revenge Match Set in Dubai Semi-finals

Gauff, Svitolina set for thrilling Dubai semi-finals encounter

Coco Gauff takes on Elina Svitolina in the Dubai Tennis Championships semi-finals, fueled to avenge her Australian Open defeat and push for her first Dubai final.

Coco Gauff turned it around in a big way, dominating Alexandra Eala 6-0, 6-2 in just 67 minutes...

is looking to bounce back from her quarterfinal loss to , and she gets the chance in the semifinals. The American, who's been in great form, is hungry for revenge against the Ukrainian, who beat her 6-1, 6-2 in Melbourne.

20 02 2026
DUBAİ BAE WTA SINGLES
SONUÇ
Pegula J.—2
Anisimova A.—1
--
CANLI
Svitolina E.—1—6—3
—-Gauff C.—0—4—4
-- pic.twitter.com/aSmRVIcnlt
— foklixnews (@foklixnews) February 20, 2026

Meanwhile, the other semifinal features an all-American clash between Jessica Pegula and Amanda Anisimova. Pegula, who leads their head-to-head 4-0, will look to advance to her first final this season.

Pegula (4) vs Anisimova (2) - 14:00 CET

Match news and form

Jessica Pegula's winning streak continues. The fourth seed survived a tough test against Clara Tauson, beating the Dane 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 in a thrilling match that lasted almost two hours. This marks Pegula's seventh semi-finals appearance in a row, following straight-set wins over Varvara Gracheva and Iva Jovic earlier in the tournament.

Jessica Pegula's impressive streak of reaching the semi-finals in every tournament since the hasn't translated to a title win since Bad Homburg last year. She's lost five of those six semi-final matches, including tough losses to Marta Kostyuk in Brisbane and Elena Rybakina at the Australian Open.

Pegula's consistency is undeniable, but it seems like she's struggling to close out the deals. Her recent loss to Rybakina was particularly disappointing, with Pegula admitting she didn't play to her full potential and struggled with the slower evening conditions on .

Amanda Anisimova Battles Past Andreeva in Thriller to Reach Dubai Semi-finals

Amanda Anisimova staged an incredible comeback against defending champion Mirra Andreeva, overcoming a set and 0-2 deficit to win 2-6, 7-5, 7-6 in over two and a half hours. The second seed was down 1-3 in the decider and faced two match points, but she rallied to claim the win. What a thriller.

Amanda Anisimova's Dubai campaign had been relatively easy so far, with a first-round bye, a walkover, and a straightforward 6-1, 6-3 win over Janice Tjen. But she had to dig deep to beat Mirra Andreeva, and the 24-year-old will be thrilled to be back on track after her Doha withdrawal. As a former Slam finalist, Anisimova's got the pedigree to go far.

Pegula vs Anisimova: American Showdown in Dubai Semi-finals

Jessica Pegula leads Amanda Anisimova 4-0 head-to-head, with their latest encounter at the Australian Open quarter-finals ending in Pegula's 6-2, 7-6 win.

Stats & Facts

Pegula's Dubai semi-final appearance is her first since losing to Barbora Krejcikova three years ago. She's been to seven WTA 1000 finals, with two in 2025 (Miami and Wuhan). Against top 10 players, Pegula's record is mixed, losing eight of 15 encounters in the last 12 months.

Anisimova's Semi-Final Track Record

Anisimova's got a strong semi-finals record, standing 9-5 in tour-level matches, and 4-1 in her last five.

WTA 1000 Success

Four of her five final appearances in 2025 were at WTA 1000 level or higher, showing her ability to perform big.

Top 10 Wins

Anisimova's been crushing it against top 10 opponents, with 11 wins since February 2025 alone, seven of those coming in three-setters.

Pegula's Consistency Conundrum

Pegula's reached seven straight semi-finals, but losing five of her last six at this stage, including two this season, makes this a crucial opportunity to finally turn consistency into a title push.

Anisimova's Freshness Fading?

Anisimova may be the fresher player, yet being broken nine times in her previous match raises serious concerns.

Prediction

Given recent performances, Pegula looks better positioned to extend her advantage in this matchup.

Pegula in 2026

Best results: Australian Open, Brisbane (semi-finals)

Best results on outdoor hard courts: Australian Open, Brisbane (semi-finals)

Record: 11-2

Record in the last 10 matches: 8-2

Record on outdoor hard courts: 11-2

Record against top 10: 2-1 (career 28-38)

Record in WTA 1000 semi-finals: 0-0 (career 7-6)

Record in semi-finals: 0-2 (career 20-17)

Grand Slams: Australian Open (semi-finals)

Pegula at the Dubai Tennis Championships

Career record: 10-4

Best result: semi-finals (2023, 2026)

Last year's result: round of 16

Record in semi-finals: 0-1

Preparation: none

Road to the semi-finals: Bye, Gracheva (6-4, 6-0), (16) Jovic (6-4, 6-2), (12) Tauson (6-3, 2-6, 6-4)

Anisimova in 2026

Best results: Dubai (semi-finals)

Best results on outdoor hard courts: Dubai (semi-finals)

Record: 7-3

Record in the last 10 matches: 7-3

Record on outdoor hard courts: 7-3

Record against top 10: 1-1 (career 19-29)

Record in WTA 1000 semi-finals: 0-0 (career 3-0)

Record in semi-finals: 0-0 (career 9-5)

Grand Slams: Australian Open (quarter-finals)

Anisimova at the Dubai Tennis Championships

Career record: 4-4

Best result: semi-finals (2026)

Last year's result: round of 64

Record in semi-finals: 0-0

Preparation: Doha (round of 32)

Road to the semi-finals: Bye, Krejcikova (w/o), Tjen (6-1, 6-3), (5) M. Andreeva (2-6, 7-5, 7-6)

Svitolina (7) vs Gauff (3) - 16:00 CET

Match news and form

Coco Gauff turned it around in a big way, dominating Alexandra Eala 6-0, 6-2 in just 67 minutes, a far cry from her nail-biter against Elise Mertens, where she saved three match points and overcame 16 double faults to win 2-6, 7-6, 6-3. Gauff's performance was her most emphatic of the tournament, silencing the crowd that had been cheering for Eala.

Coco Gauff is breathing a sigh of relief after reaching her first semi-final of the season in Dubai, putting behind her shock opening-round defeat to Elisabetta Cocciaretto in Doha. The reigning and Wuhan champion has had a decent 2026 so far, with notable performances including a quarter-final appearance in Melbourne and a win over at the .

Gauff's recent form has been impressive, especially her dominant 6-0, 6-2 win over Alexandra Eala in the quarter-finals. She's now set to face Elina Svitolina in the semi-finals, a match that promises to be a thrilling encounter.

Elina Svitolina took the tough road to beat lucky loser Antonia Ruzic 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 in the quarter-finals, reaching her first Dubai semi-final in seven years. This was Svitolina's second consecutive comeback win, having overcome Belinda Bencic in the previous round. Svitolina's resilience is paying off, and she's now set to face Coco Gauff in the semi-finals.

Elina Svitolina turned things around in 2026 after a disappointing finish to 2025, where she played only three tournaments post-Wimbledon and failed to win a match in two of them. She's bounced back with 14 wins and just two losses this year, claiming the Auckland title and reaching the Australian Open semi-finals.

Head-to-Head: Level Pegging

Svitolina and Gauff are tied 2-2, with Svitolina winning their last meeting 6-1, 6-2 in the Australian Open quarter-finals.

Gauff's Dubai History

Coco Gauff has never won more than three matches in a row in any of her five previous Dubai appearances, with her best run being a semi-final finish three years ago, aided by a bye and a walkover.

Gauff's Early Season Performance

The American has never reached a final above the WTA 250 level in the first three months of a season, despite having nine career finals at the WTA 1000 level or higher.

Svitolina's Dubai Experience

Svitolina's familiar with the Dubai semi-finals, having played four times before, with two titles (2017, 2018) and two losses (2016, 2019).

Svitolina's Recent Form

The Ukrainian's been selective with finals in the last 24 months, with two titles in Rouen (2025) and Auckland (2026). She's aiming for her biggest final since winning Rome in 2018.

Gauff's Serve Sorted

Gauff managed to steady her serve just in time after shaky performances in the earlier rounds and will be motivated to avenge her Australian Open defeat.

Svitolina's Strong Streak

Svitolina's displayed her trademark resilience once again and arrives in strong form. Having taken at least a set in all four of their previous meetings, she has the tools and confidence to trouble Gauff and could once again threaten an upset.

Svitolina in 2026

Best results: Auckland (title)

Best results on outdoor hard courts: Auckland (title)

Record: 14-2

Record in the last 10 matches: 8-2

Record on outdoor hard courts: 14-2

Record against top 10: 2-1 (career 45-58)

Record in WTA 1000 semi-finals: 0-0 (career 4-8)

Record in semi-finals: 1-1 (career 23-26)

Grand Slams: Australian Open (semi-finals)

Svitolina at the Dubai Tennis Championships

Career record: 23-8

Best result: title (2017-18)

Last year's result: round of 32

Record in semi-finals: 2-2

Preparation: Doha (round of 16)

Road to the semi-finals: Bye, Badosa (6-4 ret.), (9) Bencic (4-6, 6-1, 6-3), Ruzic (3-6, 6-2, 6-3)

Gauff in 2026

Best results: Dubai (semi-finals)

Best results on outdoor hard courts: Dubai (semi-finals)

Record: 10-3

Record in the last 10 matches: 8-2

Record on outdoor hard courts: 10-3

Record against top 10: 1-0 (career 34-36)

Record in WTA 1000 semi-finals: 0-0 (career 5-7)

Record in semi-finals: 0-0 (career 14-16)

Grand Slams: Australian Open (quarter-finals)

Gauff at the Dubai Tennis Championships

Career record: 10-5

Best result: semi-finals (2023, 2026)

Last year's result: round of 32

Record in semi-finals: 0-1

Preparation: Doha (round of 32)

Road to the semi-finals: Bye, Kalinskaya (6-4, 6-4), Mertens (2-6, 7-6, 6-3), Eala (6-0, 6-2)

Gauff vs Svitolina: Revenge Match Set in Dubai Semi-finals