On Saturday at the WTA Finals Riyadh presented by PIF (Tournament of Champions) Coco Gauff made an incredible comeback and won the first title of her career. She beat the Chinese Zheng Qinwenwhich in the semifinals with a Czech Barbara Krejcikova. Seeded deuces Gabriela Dabrowska a Erin Routliffe capped off a perfect week and beat Wimbledon champions Taylor Townsend a Katerina Siniakova 7:5, 6:3 and won the doubles.
The No.3 seed Gauff defeated No.7 Zheng Qinwen of China 3:6, 6:4, 7:6(2) in a final that lasted 3 hours and 4 minutes to win the Billie Jean King Trophy and her ninth career singles title on the Hologic WTA Tour. This is the longest final at the Tournament of Champions since 2008, when time statistics began to be tracked.
"I just stayed resilient and fought for every point," Gauff said at a post-game press conference. "I know I was a few points away from losing, but honestly I tried to stay in the moment and I'm really proud of myself."
In her third consecutive appearance at the Champions Tournament, Gauff had to overcome several adversity to win. Gauff had to come back from a break down in the second set and was down a break twice in the third set when Zheng served for a 5-4 win.
Gauff, who recalled her run to the 2023 US Open (where she struggled in three matches after losing a set), used her grit and fought back each time.
"At the end of the match, when I fell to the ground, I didn't think I was going to make it," Gauff said. "I kind of promised myself that I would save it for the grand slams. But honestly, the way the match was going, I was like, 'I'm just tired. I just want to lay on the floor'."
Gauff will be rewarded with $4,805,000 for her week in Riyadh - the biggest payday on the Hologic WTA Tour. The American has also secured the world number three position for the second consecutive season.
A strong finish to the season: Gauff capped off her season with a win on Saturday. After losing in the eighth round in her title defense at the US Open, Gauff has rebounded strongly, winning 12 of her last 14 matches this year. Zheng also finished the season in hot form. Since Wimbledon, this year's Olympic champion Zheng has a record of 31 wins and 6 defeats and leads the number of matches won in the tournament this season.
However, Gauff entered the title match with a near flawless record in the final and the American continues to excel at this stage of the tournament - especially on hard court.
By winning the Beijing hardcourt title last month, Gauff became the first woman in the Open era to win her first seven finals at the hardcourt level. Gauff has now extended her finals record on the hard surface to 8-0 and improved her overall record to 9-1 in finals at the tournament level.
Key moments: Zheng took the lead in the first set and broke Gauff's game with heavy, deep shots to take the set 5-3. Zheng survived one break point on her serve to take a one-set lead - Gauff was 0-5 down on break points in the opening set.
In the second set, however, Gauff found an aggressive return game that made her the year's number one in percentage of games won and points won on return. From 3-1 down, Gauff broke Zheng three times in a row to take the second set and level the match.
In an unpredictable third set, Gauff came back from an early break but Zheng took the lead back and served for the match at 5-4. However, Gauff's deep shots forced Zheng into errors and the American broke at 5-5 without ever facing a break point.
At 6:5, Gauff won two match points on Zheng's serve, but the Chinese resisted and set up a third set tiebreak. Gauff refused to give up and took a 6-0 lead in the break. She eventually converted her fifth match point to seal victory in Saudi Arabia.
"I knew it was going to be a tough game, I did," Gauff said. "It was the second time we played together, it was tough and she played at a great level at the beginning of the match."
Quick Facts: Twenty-year-old Gauff and twenty-two-year-old Zheng "made" Riyadh boast the youngest age of singles finalists at the Tournament of Champions since 2004, when Maria Sharapova beat Serena Williams in the final. Gauff is now the youngest holder of a Champions Tournament title since 17-year-old Sharapova won it 20 years ago.
Since the WTA Finals began in 1972, Gauff is the fourth American woman to win the WTA Finals before the age of 21, joining Chris Evert (1972, 1973 and 1975), Tracy Austin (1980) and Serena Williams (2001).
This week, Gauff also became only the second American since 1990 to earn four Top 10 wins in a single event before turning 21. The first time was by Lindsay Davenport, who won the gold medal at the 1996 Olympics.
The rise of Zheng Qinwen in 2024 ended almost perfectly
The 22-year-old Chinese was a third-set tiebreak away from winning one of the biggest titles of her career. "Today's game is just a few important points," Zheng said in a post-match interview.
"That's all I can say. The match was very even and then, you know, at the end when you play this kind of match, it's not about tennis, it's just about decisions on the court."
Zheng led by a set and a break in the second set and was up a break twice in the third set. She served for the match at 5:4 and fended off two match points at 6:5, but Gauff held the tie-break and Zheng took the advancing plate.
"This match is a lot of endurance, instead of explosive tennis," said Zheng, this year's Olympic gold medalist. "Yes, a lot physically, but I would say sometimes, maybe in this match, I wasn't as patient."
"Honestly, when I played the Olympics, I was much more patient than I am now. But at the same time, I feel that when I had the short ball and when I was attacking, if I could make those balls, the match might have changed. But it's tennis. Sometimes it can happen."
Still, it's hard to argue that 2024 Australian Open finalist Zheng will be a steady contender for major titles in 2025.
In addition to her breakthrough win at the Olympics, Zheng also claimed titles in Palermo and Tokyo during the second half of the season. She finishes this year at a new career high in the rankings, debuting at No. 5 in the Top 5.
"I definitely played some great matches," Zheng looked back on her time in Riyadh. "Of course, the final, you know, is a tough game. There's a lot of rallies, very endurance, you know, she's a solid type of player."
"I think her style of play is completely different than Sabalenka's., (second) a match that I lost. So both of these players, when I lost to them, it makes me think, it makes me find a way to improve."
"When you lose a game, you have to learn from it. So I would say it's very positive here because it's my first WTA final and I'm here, but at the same time, you know, I feel hurt that I lost that match for sure. But we'll see. Maybe next time it will be better."
Overall, Zheng's fighting spirit pulled her through the best year of her career and she will carry that with her into next season.
"I think the positive is that I fight no matter what happens on the court," Zheng said. "And then I had a great season. For the first time I participated in the Tournament of Champions. And, you know, not even the finals (me) didn't work out, but I still have a lot to learn."
"This is tennis. It's that you fight, but it's not always you who's the one. But if you keep going and stay in that spot, I think you'll get your chance. I mean tennis-wise, obviously, I've got to keep improving. But just stay strong and we'll see."
WTA/ gnews - RoZ
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