Tenacious Coco Gauff comes from behind to win 2024 WTA Finals title
World number three Gauff won a gripping contest with multiple twists and turns beating Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 to claim her maiden WTA Finals title in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday (9 November).
Tennis
World number three tennis ace Coco Gauff beat Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 to win her maiden WTA Finals title in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday (9 November) in a battle of the rising stars.
The 20-year-old Gauff became the youngest player since Maria Sharapova in 2004 to win the season-ending championships.
Zheng made a nervous start to the match, with Gauff coming close to breaking the Chinese star in the opening game of the contest. The Paris gold medallist found some rhythm, but Gauff made Zheng work hard to hold serve.
The American had another opportunity to take control of the first set, but Zheng tenaciously saved three break points.
The first set suddenly swung in Zheng’s favour as she broke Gauff in the eighth game before holding serve in the next to go 6-3 up to secure the set.
Gauff would have rued the missed opportunities, squandering five break points which ultimately gave Zheng the early advantage.
Zheng further tightened her grip on the match breaking Gauff in the first game of the second set, edging her closer to another career-defying victory.
But the 2023 US Open champion roared back, starting with a perfect hold in the fifth game before finally converting a break in the next to make it 4-4.
Taking advantage of the momentum swing, Gauff claimed back-to-back breaks (5-3) before serving for the set. The clash delivered another twist as Zheng broke back and held serve to level the contest, only for Gauff to return the favour to take the second set 6-4.
Zheng got the third set on the front foot by breaking Gauff in the opening game with a double fault playing into the Chinese player’s hands.
In keeping with the tit-for-tat nature of the match, Gauff nearly broke back to put the contest back on level terms but Zheng held serve for the advantage.
Gauff finally got the rub of the green, breaking back in the fourth game courtesy of a superb volley.
Zheng regained the advantage in the seventh game before surviving the onslaught from her competitor to hold serve for a 5-3 lead. In another twist, Gauff broke Zheng as she was serving for the match.
Zheng saved two championship points to enforce the tiebreak, with Gauff winning six consecutive points before going on to claim the crown.