Coco Gauff battled for 3 hours and 4 minutes to beat Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen 3-6 6-4 7-6(2) within the championship match of the WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, marking the event’s debut within the area. At simply 20 years outdated, Gauff, the youngest participant within the draw, made a formidable run to safe her first WTA Finals title.
In her debut look in 2022, Gauff struggled within the group stage, shedding all three matches. Nonetheless, final yr, she made a notable leap, advancing to the semifinals, displaying important progress. This yr, Gauff’s perseverance and development have been on full show.
The match began with a good first set during which Zheng took management with a lone break, saving all 5 break factors she confronted. The Chinese language then prolonged her momentum, racing to a 2-0 lead within the second set. Nonetheless, Gauff mounted a comeback, successful 4 consecutive video games from 1-3 to go up 5-3. Regardless of dropping serve when serving for the set and having two set factors, Gauff held her nerve, changing her third set level within the subsequent sport on Zheng’s serve.
The third set noticed each gamers preventing arduous, with Gauff coming from behind twice after being damaged. In the long run, it was the American who prevailed in a dramatic tiebreak to seal the victory.
This triumph is a serious milestone for Gauff, who completed the round-robin stage with a 2-1 file, having defeated Jessica Pegula and Iga Swiatek however shedding to Barbora Krejcikova within the Orange Group. Within the semifinals, she took down world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka earlier than going through Zheng within the last. With this victory, Gauff claimed the most important prize cash verify within the historical past of ladies’s skilled tennis, totaling $4,805,000.
Gauff’s successful gear included a New Steadiness tennis costume, her signature CG2 footwear, and a Head Growth MP racquet.
