It was a three-set thriller in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday for the WTA Finals championship. American Coco Gauff faced Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng.
Congratulations to @CocoGauff and her team. Fun to have today’s final be one of the best matches of the year. 👏👏👏👏
— Pam Shriver (@PHShriver) November 9, 2024
The pair faced each other earlier in the season on the clay in Rome with Gauff the victor.
This match lasted over three hours, and Gauff was behind in all three sets.
Coco Gauff Lost The First Set And Fought Back To Win The Second Set
Things looked bleak as Gauff dropped the first set 3-6 and fell behind a break in the second set. She fought back to win the second set 6-4.
The third set was a roller coaster ride with Zheng getting a break and serving for the match at 5-3.
Zheng played a tremendous match up until this point, but then her game faltered.
It was only fitting that the third set went to a tiebreak for the first time in the 52 years of WTA Finals history.
Coco Gauff locked down, served well, and kept the ball in play to earn the win.
Coco Gauff.
The youngest WTA Finals champ since Sharapova in 2004. pic.twitter.com/mgZfC4h02E
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) November 9, 2024
Coco Gauff: Record Breaker
Gauff is the first American to win the WTA Finals in ten years. Serena Williams was the champion in 2014.
At 20, she is the youngest player to win the WTA Finals since Maria Sharapova defeated Serena Williams in 2004.
Coco Gauff v Qinwen Zheng is the youngest WTA Finals final since Serena Williams v Maria Sharapova in 2004 📆 #WTAFinalsRiyadh | @WTA pic.twitter.com/wVBPwchGq6
— Eurosport (@eurosport) November 8, 2024
She beat World No. 1 and World No. 2, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, en route to the WTA Finals; she is the first player to do that since Kim Clijsters did it in 2002.
Coco Gauff 🤝 Kim Clijsters
Coco Gauff
is the youngest to defeat the World #1 and #2 at the WTA Finals since Clijsters kim#WTAFinalsRiyadh pic.twitter.com/NwIGesBbaL— NKDEBELIEVER1 (@NKDEBELIEVER) November 8, 2024
The Pere Riba Nonfactor
Coco Gauff’s former coach Pere Riba is Zheng’s current coach. Some thought that Riba would have the intel for Zheng to help her win. It has not happened yet. In her victory speech, Gauff subtly tipped her hat to her former coach, congratulating Zheng’s team and calling them “very nice.”
Gauff. “Congrats to your team, you guys are all very nice”.
Coco to Zheng, coached by Pere Riba, who left team Coco in 2023 to rejoin team Zheng..
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) November 9, 2024
