In a thrilling finale, Coco Gauff made history as the youngest player in 20 years to capture the WTA Finals title, triumphing over Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in a hard-fought 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/2) victory in Riyadh.
The 20-year-old American’s win on Saturday marked the second-longest WTA final of 2024, lasting three hours and four minutes and highlighting Gauff’s resilience as she fought back from a 3-6, 1-3 deficit.
“This means a lot to me,” Gauff said after the match. “This is the first professional women’s tennis event here in Saudi Arabia, and I’ll forever be etched in history in that standard. It’s the second biggest title in our sport, so it means a lot.”
The win brings Gauff a record-breaking $4.8 million prize, the highest payout ever awarded at a professional, sanctioned tennis tour event. Gauff’s road to the title was no easy path—she defeated top-ranked players Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek en route to the final, showcasing physical and mental endurance throughout the tournament.
“I don’t know what I’ll do with it, that’s a lot of money,” Gauff laughed when asked about her record-breaking prize. “What you said? 4.8 (million)? I hope I’m one of the highest-paid female tennis players this year.”
Zheng, the runner-up, made her own mark in the tournament, becoming just the second Asian woman to reach the WTA Finals championship match, following Li Na’s achievement in 2013. Zheng ends her breakthrough season on a high note, with a career-high ranking of number five on Monday after winning 31 of her last 37 matches.
Reflecting on the final, Zheng remarked, “It hurts to lose this match, of course, but I think it’s better I forget it and move on for my next steps.”
The match featured the youngest finalists in two decades, as Gauff and Zheng delivered a fierce, high-intensity battle from the first serve.
Zheng initially held the upper hand, seizing the first set after Gauff double-faulted, and carried her momentum into the second.
However, Gauff rebounded with grit, capturing her first break on the sixth opportunity and ultimately forcing a decisive third set.
In the final set, Zheng surged ahead 5-3, but Gauff mounted a relentless comeback, saving two championship points and forcing a tiebreak.
Gauff charged to a commanding 6-0 lead in the tiebreak, ultimately clinching her fifth championship point to complete an extraordinary comeback victory.
In doubles, Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe captured the title, defeating the American-Czech team of Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova 7-5, 6-3 to avenge their Wimbledon final loss.
