American star Coco Gauff captured the WTA Finals title in Riyadh on Saturday with a hard-fought 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 win over Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, making her the youngest WTA Finals champion in 20 years. Gauff, 20, fought back from a one-break deficit twice in the final set to secure her win in three hours and four minutes, marking the second-longest final on the WTA Tour in 2024. Her victory brought home a record $4.8 million prize, the largest payout in a professional Tour event.
Gauff’s path to the title included impressive wins over the world’s top-ranked players, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, as well as her fourth top-eight win of the week. Zheng, the first Asian woman since Li Na in 2013 to reach the WTA Finals singles final, caps her breakthrough year by rising to a career-high world number five.
A Fierce Battle and Record-Breaking Play
In the youngest WTA Finals match-up since Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams in 2004, both Gauff and Zheng showcased relentless power and precision. Zheng initially looked strong, securing the first set after breaking Gauff’s serve for a 5-3 lead. Gauff rallied back in the second, eventually seizing her first break opportunity on her sixth attempt and winning four consecutive games to even the match.
The final set saw dramatic shifts as Zheng stormed ahead 5-3, but Gauff’s resilience forced a deciding tiebreak. Gauff took command in the tiebreak, racing to a 6-0 lead and sealing her win on her fifth championship point.
Doubles Title Goes to Dabrowski and Routliffe
In the doubles final, Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand emerged victorious, defeating Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova 7-5, 6-3. The winning duo finished a perfect 5-0 for the week and will split $1.125 million in prize money, with Routliffe describing the sum as “life-changing.”
