Coco Gauff went the distance to capture the second-biggest title of her career on Saturday, triumphing at the WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with a 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(2) win over Qinwen Zheng. Gauff prevailed after three hours and four minutes.
The American trailed by a set and a break and was twice down a break in the third set. Zheng even served for the match at 5-4 in the decider, but the Paris Olympics gold medalist could not get across the finish line.
“Just staying resilient, fighting for every point (made the difference),” Gauff said during her post-match press conference. “I know I was like a couple points away from losing, but I just tried to stay in the moment, honestly, and I’m really proud of myself.
“At the end of the match, when I fell on the floor, I didn’t think I was going to do that. I kind of, like, made a promise to myself that I will only save that for Grand Slams. But honestly, to the way the match went, I was like, ‘I’m just tired. I just want to lay on the ground.'”
Thus ends an up-and-down season for the 20-year-old, who went without a Grand Slam title but ended on a massive high note. Gauff won the 2023 U.S. Open and since that result has never been ranked lower No. 6. She finishes the 2024 campaign at No. 3.
nice one, Coco
Well done Coco, wasn’t sure which way this one was going, so many swings in momentum lol