Battling Gauff recovers to down Zheng and win WTA Finals in thriller

RIYADH (Agencies): Defiant Coco Gauff fought back to beat China’s Zheng Qinwen 3-6 6-4 7-6(2) in a three-hour thriller on Saturday and become the youngest player to win the WTA Finals in 20 years and the first American champion since Serena Williams a decade ago. The 20-year-old Gauff stormed to a 6-0 lead in the final set tiebreak before easing to victory, falling to the court in celebration as she clinched the year-end world number three ranking for the second straight time. It was the longest showpiece match at the WTA Finals since 2008 when times were first recorded. “I was just trying my best to hang in there and I never gave up,” a delighted Gauff said. Olympic gold medallist Zheng, seeded seventh and making her WTA Finals debut, won the first set in just under an hour, saving all five break points she faced to keep Gauff at bay. Zheng got a 3-1 head start in the second set but Gauff fought back, breaking Zheng to love in the sixth game and converting another break point in the eighth before the pair traded breaks to close out the set.

Zheng put the American on the back foot early in the third, where Gauff twice found herself down a break, and had the victory within her reach as she served for the match at 5-4. But she was undone by four unforced errors, allowing Gauff to level, and the American was dominant through the tiebreak. “It was a really great match. Qinwen played some unbelievable tennis,” third seed Gauff added. “I was just telling myself, ‘it’s another point, another chance’. I’ve been in situations like this in the past and have been able to turn it around … and was able to do it again today.” Gauff also won her only previous match with Zheng in May, an Italian Open quarter-final victory in Rome. Earlier, Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand beat Czech Katerina Siniakova and American Taylor Townsend 7-5 6-3 in the doubles final. It was sweet revenge for Dabrowski and Routliffe, who lost to Siniakova and Townsend in the Wimbledon final this year.

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The victory capped a terrific week in Riyadh for Gauff, who became the youngest player in 18 years to defeat both the world number one and number two at a tournament, after Russian Sharapova at the 2006 U.S. Open. The American was also the youngest player to win the WTA Finals since Sharapova triumphed in 2004. In the group stage, Gauff lost to Barbora Krejcikova but beat fellow American Jessica Pegula and holder and world number two Iga Swiatek to finish 2-1 in the Orange section. She then stunned top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in the semis. Gauff has this season reached the last four at the Australian Open and French Open tournaments, won the China Open in Beijing and made the semi-finals in Wuhan. After Zheng lost her opening match to Sabalenka at the WTA Finals, she beat fifth seed Elena Rybakina and fourth-seeded Jasmine Paolini to finish second in the purple group before getting past Wimbledon champion Krejcikova in the semis. Zheng had become only the second Chinese player to reach the WTA Finals decider, after Li Na in 2013. “I want to say thanks to everyone who came tonight. It was a long week. Thanks to all the staff and my team because you guys try to keep me healthy,” Zheng said. “I’ve been through a lot of matches this year, but I’m still on court fighting. Thanks to you. I wouldn’t be here without you. Congrats to the champion. It’s your first title here. I wish you have a great future.”