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US' Coco Gauff returns to Croatia's Donna Vekic during their women's singles third round tennis match on Court Philippe-Chatrier at the Roland-Garros Stadium during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, in Paris on July 30, 2024. Patricia de Melo Moreira, AFP/File


US' Coco Gauff returns to Croatia's Donna Vekic during their women's singles third round tennis match on Court Philippe-Chatrier at the Roland-Garros Stadium during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, in Paris on July 30, 2024. (Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA / AFP)

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Paris 2024

Agence France-Presse

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1731223556542AFP__20240730__367H263__v2__Preview__TennisOlyParis2024.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="US&#x27; Coco Gauff returns to Croatia&#x27;s Donna Vekic during their women&#x27;s singles third round tennis match on Court Philippe-Chatrier at the Roland-Garros Stadium during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, in Paris on July 30, 2024. Patricia de Melo Moreira, AFP/File"/>US&#x27; Coco Gauff returns to Croatia&#x27;s Donna Vekic during their women&#x27;s singles third round tennis match on Court Philippe-Chatrier at the Roland-Garros Stadium during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, in Paris on July 30, 2024. Patricia de Melo Moreira, AFP/File</div>RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- Coco Gauff became the youngest player to win the WTA Finals title in 20 years with a grueling 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/2) victory over Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in Riyadh on Saturday.The 20-year-old Gauff rallied back from 3-6, 1-3 down, and erased a one-break deficit twice in the decider, to overcome Zheng in three hours and four minutes – the second-longest WTA final in 2024.&quot;This means a lot to me,&quot; said Gauff.&quot;This is the first professional women&#x27;s tennis event here in Saudi Arabia and I&#x27;ll forever be etched in history in that standard.&quot;It&#x27;s the second biggest title in our sport, so it means a lot. And just to be etched in history forever, it&#x27;s pretty cool and hopefully there&#x27;s more events here.&quot;<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/11/9/tennis-gauff-sets-up-decider-with-zheng-at-wta-finals-1231">READ: Gauff sets up decider with Zheng at WTA Finals</a></div>By clinching the trophy, Gauff pocketed a record $4,805,000 – which is the largest ever payout at a professional, sanctioned tour event.Gauff had knocked out the world&#x27;s top two players, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, en route to the final and picked up her fourth top-eight win of the week with an impressive physical performance against Zheng.The American was unaware she had earned a record prize cheque and laughed when she was told how much she made by a reporter.&quot;I don&#x27;t know what I&#x27;ll do with it, that&#x27;s a lot of money. What you said? 4.8 (million)? I hope I&#x27;m one of the highest paid female tennis players this year, or athletes, so that would be exciting,&quot; she said.Zheng is just the second Asian woman, behind Li Na in 2013, to reach the singles championship match at a WTA Finals.The Chinese star wraps up her breakthrough 2024 campaign having won 31 of her last 37 matches, and will rise to a career-high number five in the world on Monday.&quot;The match today came down to just a couple of important points. It was very close. And at the end, when you play these type of matches, it&#x27;s not about tennis, it&#x27;s about choices on court,&quot; said Zheng.&quot;It hurts to lose this match of course but I think it&#x27;s better I forget it and move on for my next steps.&quot;<div>- Youngest finalists in two decades -</div>Contesting the youngest final at the WTA Finals since Maria Sharapova&#x27;s win over Serena Williams in 2004, Gauff and Zheng, 22, brought their A-game from the start.It was Zheng who faced more pressure on serve in the opening games, saving a number of break points to keep things on level terms with her American opponent.The rallies got longer and more physically taxing and it was Gauff who cracked first, double-faulting to hand Zheng a 5-3 lead.Zheng had to save a break point while serving for the set, which she closed on a netted backhand from Gauff.The seventh seed kept up her momentum and clinched a fifth game in a row to go up 2-0 early in the second set.Gauff stopped the bleeding though and fought her way back to level for 3-3, finally claiming her first break of serve on her sixth opportunity of the match. Zheng appeared to have lost a bit of her speed and Gauff took full advantage of the situation.The American made it four games in a row to put herself in the position to serve for the second set but couldn&#x27;t close, as Zheng saved a pair of set points to peg her opponent back and break. Gauff retaliated the next game to scoop the second set and force a decider.Gauff dropped serve at the start of the final set but pulled off an incredible stretch volley to strike back and even the score 2-2.Zheng mustered all the power she could, unleashing huge serves and groundstrokes to create another gap and surged ahead 5-3.Gauff would not relent and once again wiped her deficit. Zheng saved two championship points on her own serve in game 12 and carried the match into a deciding tiebreak.Gauff was dialed in for the breaker, racing to a 6-0 advantage and Zheng couldn&#x27;t catch up as the world number three completed a remarkable comeback victory on her fifth opportunity.The doubles title in Riyadh was secured by Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealand&#x27;s Erin Routliffe, who avenged their Wimbledon final loss to Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova by defeating the American-Czech duo 7-5, 6-3.<div>© Agence France-Presse</div>

Coco Gauff became the youngest player to win the WTA Finals title in 20 years with a grueling 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/2) victory over Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in Riyadh on Saturday.

Coco Gauff became the youngest player to win the WTA Finals title in 20 years with a grueling 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/2) victory over Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in Riyadh on Saturday.

Tennis: Gauff fights back to beat Zheng for WTA Finals title

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Tennis: Gauff fights back to beat Zheng for WTA Finals title

Agence France-Presse,

Reem Abulleil

Published Nov 10, 2024 03:26 PM PHT

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tennis

WTA Finals

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Zheng Qinwen

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