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Gauff fights back to beat Zheng for WTA Finals title

football09 November 2024 19:54| © AFP
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Coco Gauff became the youngest player to win the WTA Finals title in 20 years with a gruelling 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/2) victory over Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in Riyadh on Saturday.

The 20-year-old Gauff rallied back from 3-6, 1-3 down, and erased a one-break deficit twice in the decider, to overcome the seventh-seeded Zheng in three hours and four minutes – the second-longest WTA final in 2024.

By clinching the trophy, Gauff pocketed a record $4 805 000 – which is the largest ever payout at a professional, sanctioned tour event.

Gauff had knocked out the world's top two players, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, en route to the final and picked up her fourth top-eight win of the week with an impressive physical performance against Zheng.

Zheng is just the second Asian woman, behind Li Na in 2013, to reach the singles championship match at a WTA Finals.

The Chinese star wraps up her breakthrough 2024 campaign having won 31 of her last 37 matches, and will rise to a career-high No 5 in the world on Monday.

Contesting the youngest final at the WTA Finals since Maria Sharapova's win over Serena Williams in 2004, Gauff and Zheng, 22, brought their A-game from the start, painting the lines with precise and powerful groundstrokes off of both wings.

It was Zheng who faced more pressure on serve in the opening games, saving a break point in game one, and three more in game five, to keep things on level terms with her American opponent.

The rallies got longer and more physically taxing and it was Gauff who cracked first, double-faulting to hand Zheng a 5-3 lead.

Zheng had to save a break point while serving for the set, which she closed on a netted backhand from Gauff at the 55-minute mark.

The seventh seed kept up her momentum and clinched a fifth game in a row to go up 2-0 early in the second set.

GAUFF DIGS DEEP

Gauff stopped the bleeding though and fought her way back to level for 3-3, finally claiming her first break of serve on her sixth opportunity of the match. Zheng appeared to have lost a bit of her speed and Gauff took full advantage of the situation.

The American made it four games in a row to put herself in the position to serve for the second set but couldn't close, as Zheng saved a pair of set points to peg her opponent back and break. Gauff retaliated the next game to scoop the second set and force a decider.

Gauff dropped serve at the start of the final set but pulled off an incredible stretch volley to strike back and even the score 2-2.

Zheng mustered all the power she could, unleashing huge serves and groundstrokes to create another gap and surged ahead 5-3.

Gauff would not relent and once again wiped her deficit. Zheng saved two championship points on her own serve in game 12 and carried the match into a deciding tiebreak.

Gauff was dialled in for the breaker, racing to a 6-0 advantage and Zheng couldn't catch up as the world No 3 completed a remarkable comeback victory on her fifth opportunity.

The doubles title in Riyadh was secured by Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealand's Erin Routliffe, who avenged their Wimbledon final loss to Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova by defeating the American-Czech duo 7-5, 6-3.

The winning pair, who went a perfect 5-0 in matches this week, will split a prize cheque of $1 125 000 ($562 500 per player), a sum Routliffe described as "life-changing".

"We're super grateful for the prize money here. It's like a huge icing on the cake to what's been an amazing week for us," added Dabrowski.

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