Coco Gauff showed immense determination to come back from a set and a break down against Zheng Qinwen to win the season-ending WTA Finals.
In an enthralling encounter that lasted just over three hours, the American defeated the Olympic champion 3-6 6-4 7-6 (7-2) in Saudi Arabia.
At 20, she is the youngest player to win the tournament since Maria Sharapova exactly 20 years ago, and the youngest American since Serena Williams in 2001.
“That was a great match, I just did my best to hang in there and I never gave up,” Gauff told Sky Sports.
‘Sometimes you can think [you’re not going to win] but I just pushed that thought away. I said to myself: ‘one more point, one more chance’.
“I’ve been in situations like this in the past where I could turn it around and I was hoping I could do it again today.”
Heading into Saturday’s showpiece event, Gauff had become the youngest player to reach the championship match at the WTA Finals since Caroline Wozniacki in 2010.
She had defeated both world number one and number two in Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek on her way to the final, and she increased the pressure on her opponent in the early stages against Zheng.
In what was only their second meeting – Gauff won their first in straight sets in Rome earlier this year – the 22-year-old Zheng was forced to save four break points, including three in an enthralling fifth game.
But it was the Chinese seventh seed who got the decisive break in the opener, a double fault from Gauff after a hat-trick of unforced errors that gave Zheng the advantage and the chance to serve out the set.
Yet these errors did not appear to have had a detrimental effect on Gauff as she had a breakback point in the next game but squandered her chance before gifting Zheng the set with a backhand that smashed into the net.
Zheng’s serve is one of her best weapons, but she struggled to show it off against Gauff, with her first of just four aces coming early in the second set after breaking Gauff’s serve again.
With renewed determination, the American restored parity in an excellent return game, after which the pair exchanged breaks again. But the unflappable Gauff broke Zheng’s serve for the third straight game to take the match to a decider.
Early in the third set, Gauff saved three break points before relenting when Zheng took back control of her serve – but that was only temporary.
Gauff soon broke back and her good play at the net was rewarded when Zheng sent a forehand long before securing another love hold.
Zheng went on to win three straight matches, dropping just four points along the way, and looked like he was on his way to victory. But a play with errors while serving for the match brought Gauff back into contention.
That was the start of the American’s own three-game run, her attack halted when Zheng saved two championship points to ensure the tournament would be decided by a tie-break.
That was completely dominated by Gauff, who fell to the ground when her forehand fell into space at the net.
The victory marks her third title in a year in which she did not reach a Grand Slam singles final, with her best runs coming at the Australian Open and on the Clay of Roland Garros, when she was eliminated in the semi-finals.
Fourth-round results followed at Wimbledon and in New York, where she defended her first major title from 2023.
A year to remember for Zheng despite losing
Although it ended in defeat, 2024 was a season to remember for Zheng, who after reaching her first Grand Slam final at the Australian Open in January (loss to Aryna Sabalenka) made history in Paris in the summer when she won China’s first Olympic Games. gold medal in singles.
In addition to that success, Zheng’s year also brought a successful title defense at the Palermo Ladies Open and a victory at the Pan Pacific Open, securing her place at the WTA Finals for the first time in her career.
She is the youngest player to reach the final of the tournament on her debut since Petra Kvitova in 2011.
Earlier on Saturday, second seeds Erin Routliffe and Gabriela Dabrowski won the doubles title in Riyadh.
The New Zealand-Canadian duo defeated American Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic 7-5 6-3 to avenge their loss in the Wimbledon final.
