Highlights: Coco Gauff Becomes Youngest in 20 Years to Claim WTA Title After Thrilling Win Over Zheng Qinwen

Coco Gauff achieved a major milestone by becoming the youngest WTA Finals champion in 20 years, securing a hard-fought 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/2) win against Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen in Riyadh on Saturday. The 20-year-old American rallied from a set and a break down, recovering twice from a deficit in the final set to clinch victory after three hours and four minutes, making it the second-longest WTA final of 2024.

Gauff reflected on the historic significance of her win, highlighting the importance of this being Saudi Arabia’s first professional women’s tennis event. “It’s the second biggest title in our sport, so it means a lot. To be part of history here is pretty cool, and hopefully there will be more events like this,” she said.

Along with the trophy, Gauff earned a record $4.8 million, the largest payout ever awarded at a sanctioned tennis event. Surprised by the amount, Gauff laughed when informed by a reporter, admitting she hadn’t realized the prize amount. “I don’t know what I’ll do with it,” she joked, adding that she hoped to be one of the highest-paid female athletes this year.

Gauff’s journey to the final saw her overcome top-ranked players Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, securing her fourth top-eight victory of the week with an impressive physical performance against Zheng.

Zheng Qinwen, who made history as only the second Asian woman after Li Na to reach the WTA Finals singles championship, finished a breakthrough year in which she won 31 of her last 37 matches. She will rise to a career-high world ranking of number five on Monday. Reflecting on the match, Zheng noted how close it was, stating, “In these matches, it’s not about tennis—it’s about the choices on court.” Though disappointed by the loss, she’s focused on moving forward.

This final was the youngest matchup at the WTA Finals since 2004, when Maria Sharapova defeated Serena Williams. From the start, both Gauff and Zheng, 22, played at a high level, with Zheng facing more pressure on her serve early on. As rallies became longer and more intense, Gauff made the first error, double-faulting to give Zheng a 5-3 lead, which Zheng then converted to take the opening set.

Although Zheng surged to a 2-0 lead in the second set, Gauff fought back, leveling at 3-3 after finally breaking serve. Seizing the momentum, Gauff went up 5-3 but missed the chance to close the set as Zheng fought back. Gauff regained her footing, though, taking the second set to force a decider.

In the final set, both players traded breaks, with Zheng powering ahead to 5-3 before Gauff leveled once more. After Zheng saved two championship points in the 12th game, the match headed into a tiebreak. Gauff took control of the breaker, racing to a 6-0 lead before closing out the victory on her fifth match point.

In the doubles final, Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand claimed the title by overcoming Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova 7-5, 6-3, avenging their loss to the American-Czech duo in the Wimbledon final.