Coco Gauff made history by becoming the youngest athlete to clinch the WTA Finals title in two decades, defeating Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen with a hard-fought score of 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/2) in Riyadh on Saturday.
At just 20 years old, Gauff came back from a 3-6, 1-3 deficit and overcame a one-break disadvantage twice in the final set, emerging victorious over the seventh-seeded Zheng after three hours and four minutes—making it the second-longest WTA final of 2024.
With this victory, Gauff earned a staggering $4,805,000, marking the largest payout ever recorded at a professional, sanctioned tour event.
Gauff defeated the top two players in the world, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, securing her fourth victory over a top-eight opponent of the week with a remarkable physical effort against Zheng.
Zheng becomes only the second Asian woman, following Li Na in 2013, to reach the singles championship match at the WTA Finals.
Wrapping up her breakout year in 2024, the Chinese player finished with a remarkable record of 31 wins in her last 37 matches and will achieve a career-high ranking of number five in the world by Monday.
