Coco Gauff became the youngest WTA Finals champion in 20 years on Saturday in Riyadh after taking down Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6, in a thriller. Fighting back from down 3-6, 1-3, the American was twice a break down in the final set, but rallied to seal victory after three hours and four minutes – the second-longest final of the WTA season.
It capped an incredible week for the teenager from Florida, which saw her knock off world number one Aryna Sabalenka and number two Iga Swiatek. Her victory secured a record $4,805,000 prize, the largest payout in professional tennis.
Zheng, who reached the final with a brilliant end-of-season run, became the second Asian woman to reach the WTA Finals singles final after Li Na. The 22-year-old Chinese star will achieve a career-high ranking of No. 5 on Monday.
Canadians Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealander Erin Routliffe took the doubles title, beating Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova 7-5, 6-3, avenging their Wimbledon final defeat. The perfect week earned the duo a combined $1,125,000. Routliffe called the prize “life-changing.
