Coco Gauff defeated Zheng Qinwen in the season-ending WTA Finals by overcoming a set and a break behind with incredible tenacity.
In Saudi Arabia, the American defeated the Olympic champion 3-6 6-4 7-6 (7-2) in a thrilling match that lasted little over three hours.
She is the youngest American since Serena Williams in 2001 and the youngest player to win the tournament since Maria Sharapova precisely twenty years ago, at the age of twenty.
Third seed Gauff commented, “This means a lot to me,” after taking home a record-breaking $4.8 million (£3.7 million) in total prize money in women’s professional tennis.
“This is the first professional women’s tennis event here in Saudi Arabia and I’ll forever be etched in history in that standard.”
“That was a great match,” she added in an earlier interview with Sky Sports. I simply did my best to persevere, and I never gave up.
Gauff became the youngest player to get to the final match at the WTA Finals since Caroline Wozniacki in 2010 after making it to Saturday’s event in Riyadh.
On her way to the final, she had defeated Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, the top and second seeds in the world, respectively, and put a lot of pressure on her opponent versus Zheng early on.
Zheng, 22, was required to save four break points, including three in an exciting fifth game, in what was only their second meeting—Gauff had won their first in straight sets in Rome earlier this year.
However, the opening set was decided by the Chinese seventh seed, Zheng, who secured the match after Gauff blasted a backhand into the net. Gauff’s double fault followed a hat-trick of unforced errors.
One of Zheng’s best tools is her serve, but she found it difficult to display it against Gauff. After breaking Gauff once more, she received her first of just four aces at the beginning of the second set.
In a brilliant comeback game, the American regained parity with increased vigor, and the two then traded breaks once again. However, the match went to a final after the unfazed Gauff broke Zheng’s serve for the third straight game.
Gauff saved three break points at the beginning of the third set before giving up when Zheng regained control of her serve, but it was only for a short while.
Zheng hit a forehand long, and Gauff quickly responded, securing another love hold as her excellent play at the net was rewarded.
Zheng then appeared to be strolling toward victory as they won three straight games with only four points lost. However, Gauff returned to contention after a series of mistakes made while serving for the match.
The American’s own three-game run began at that moment, but it was cut short when Zheng saved two championship points to force a tie-break, which Gauff completely crushed.
Her best runs were at the Australian Open and on the Roland Garros clay, where she lost in the semifinals. This victory is her third championship of the year, during which she did not advance to a singles Grand Slam final.
She then lost in the fourth round at Wimbledon and in New York, where she was defending her first major championship from 2023.
After her victory, Gauff stated, “Hopefully there’s more events here.” Previously, she had expressed reluctance to play in Saudi Arabia due to the country’s human rights record.
Despite ending in defeat, Zheng’s 2024 season will live in her memory. She made history in Paris in the summer by winning China’s first Olympic singles tennis gold medal after losing to Sabalenka at the Australian Open, where she advanced to her first Grand Slam final.
The year also saw Zheng successfully defend her title at the Palermo Ladies Open and win the Pan Pacific Open, which guaranteed her a spot in the WTA Finals for the first time in her career.
She will begin 2025 as a top-five player and is the youngest player to make it to the tournament final since Petra Kvitova in 2011.
“It hurts to lose this match of course but I think it’s better I forget it and move on for my next steps,” Zheng remarked.
Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe, the second seeds, won the doubles championship in Riyadh earlier on Saturday.
The New Zealand-Canadian duo exacted revenge for their Wimbledon final defeat by defeating American Taylor Townsend and Czech Katerina Siniakova 7-5 6-3.
