Updated 2:40 PM MST, November 10, 2024
Coco Gauff secured her first WTA Finals title on Saturday with a dramatic 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2) victory over Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in a gripping three-hour final.
The 20-year-old American found herself on the brink of defeat, trailing 2-0 and 5-3 in the deciding set. But Gauff showed her resilience, battling back to force a tiebreaker. Once there, she dominated the early stages, winning the first six points. Zheng fought back, but Gauff sealed the victory with a forehand winner on her third match point as she closed in at the net.
With the win, Gauff became the first American to claim the prestigious title since Serena Williams in 2014. The victory earned her a $4.8 million prize and marked another milestone as the youngest player to win the WTA Finals since Maria Sharapova in 2004, the same year Gauff was born.
On her journey to the title, Gauff defeated the world’s top two players, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Świątek, in impressive fashion, making her triumph even more significant. After the match, Gauff was asked how she would treat herself. She revealed that she’s not someone who typically splurges, but mentioned that some of the money would go toward her new house and attending a music festival next week.
“I have bought a house… I’m going to a music festival next week. So, I don’t know, I’m not someone who likes to spend a lot of money to be honest. I don’t know what I’ll do with it. That’s a lot of money…,” Gauff said.
Zheng, who was aiming to cap off a remarkable season—one that included her first Grand Slam final appearance at the Australian Open and an Olympic singles gold medal—spoke graciously after the match.
“The match today, it’s just a couple of important points,” Zheng said. “The match was very close.”
The final featured 26 break points in total, a testament to the intense back-and-forth nature of the match. Gauff also came out on top in their only previous encounter, defeating Zheng in the Rome quarterfinals on clay in May.
With her first WTA Finals title, Gauff has cemented her status as one of the game’s rising stars, and her performance in the final will be remembered as one of the most thrilling comebacks in recent tennis history.
