Coco Gauff Battles Back To Claim WTA Finals Title In Saudi Arabia

“This means a lot to me,” said third seed Gauff, who wins a total prize of $4.8m (£3.7m) – a record amount in women’s professional tennis.

“This is the first professional women’s tennis event here in Saudi Arabia and I’ll forever be etched in history in that standard.”

Speaking earlier to Sky Sports, she said: “That was a great match. I was just trying my best to hang in there and I never gave up.”

By advancing to Saturday’s championship match in Riyadh, Gauff became the youngest player to reach the WTA Finals title match since Caroline Wozniacki did so in 2010.

On her way to Saturday’s final in Riyadh, Gauff defeated both world number one Aryna Sabalenka and world number two Iga Swiatek, setting an early tone of intensity in her match against Zheng.

This was only the second time the two had met—Gauff having won their first encounter in straight sets in Rome earlier this year. In this match, Zheng, 22, faced immediate pressure, saving four break points in a thrilling fifth game.

Despite the early challenges, Zheng managed the crucial break in the opening set. A sequence of unforced errors and a double fault from Gauff gave Zheng the lead, which she cemented by taking the set as Gauff netted a backhand.

Zheng’s powerful serve, typically a major asset, was undercut by Gauff’s pressure; she managed her first of only four aces at the start of the second set after breaking Gauff again. However, Gauff’s resilience shone as she leveled the set with an impressive return game, and the two continued trading breaks. Gauff ultimately broke Zheng’s serve a third time to force a deciding set.

In the third set, Gauff initially saved three break points before conceding as Zheng regained control on serve, though only briefly. Gauff soon retaliated, breaking back with strong net play that forced Zheng into a long forehand, followed by a love hold that reinforced her momentum.

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Zheng then surged ahead, winning three straight games with only four points lost, seemingly closing in on victory. But while serving for the match, a series of errors brought Gauff back into contention. Gauff then went on a three-game run of her own before Zheng fought back, saving two championship points to push the match to a tie-break. Gauff dominated the tiebreak, clinching the title.

The victory marks Gauff’s third title of a season that saw her reach the semi-finals of the Australian Open and Roland Garros but fall in the fourth round at Wimbledon and in New York, where she was defending her maiden Grand Slam title from 2023.

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