American Coco Gauff delivered a commanding performance to defeat world number one Aryna Sabalenka 7-6(4), 6-3 in the semi-finals of the WTA Finals, advancing to her first final in this prestigious season-ending tournament. Gauff, currently ranked world number three, will now face China’s Zheng Qinwen, who continued her breakthrough year by overcoming Barbora Krejcikova 6-3, 7-5 in the other semi-final on Friday.
In what was expected to be a close match, Gauff and Sabalenka traded early breaks in the opening set. Sabalenka took a 6-5 lead, serving for the set, but Gauff responded by forcing a tiebreak. Gauff stormed to a 6-1 lead in the tiebreak and held her nerve to win the set 7-6, despite Sabalenka’s two mini-breaks to stave off set points. Gauff then surged ahead in the second set with a 4-1 lead, weathering Sabalenka’s seven break points in a tense sixth game. Though Sabalenka showed resilience, Gauff ultimately secured the match with a break to love.
“I’m happy with the way I played; she’s world number one for a reason,” said Gauff, who is eager to face Zheng in the final. “I’m not nervous—I see this as a reward for the season I’ve had.”
Zheng Qinwen, making her WTA Finals debut, had a strong start against eighth-seeded Krejcikova, taking an early 3-0 lead in the first set. Zheng closed the set 6-3 after Krejcikova saved three set points but couldn’t hold off her opponent. The second set saw a similar start as Zheng again went up 3-0, but Krejcikova fought back to level at 5-5. Zheng managed to break once more and served out the match, securing her spot in Saturday’s final.
“It feels so special. This is my first WTA Finals, and now I’m in the final,” Zheng shared.
