Iga Swiatek fell to Elina Svitolina 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 in the Italian Open semifinal on May 14. After defeating Jessica Pegula to reach her first semifinal of 2026, she still viewed the Rome campaign as progress ahead of the French Open.
Swiatek reached the semifinals for the first time in 2026 by beating fifth seed Jessica Pegula 6-1, 6-2 in the quarterfinals. She then lost the semifinal match 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 on May 14. This followed several quarterfinal exits earlier in the season, including at the Australian Open and Indian Wells.