Coco Gauff and Qinwen Zheng will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers and for the second time in 2024 when they collide in the last match of the WTA tennis season–not including the Billie Jean King Cup later in November.
It’s the championship of the WTA Finals, set for Saturday night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Gauff and Zheng previously faced each other on the red clay of Rome in May, when the American prevailed 7-6(4), 6-1.
Gauff went without a Grand Slam title this year after triumphing at the 2023 U.S. Open, but she is ending the season in outstanding form. Since the U.S. Open, the world No. 3 has a title in Beijing, a semifinal showing in Wuhan (lost to Aryna Sabalenka), and now a semifinal run in Riyadh. Gauff has really been the best player all week long, having not dropped a single set in any meaningful match while defeating Jessica Pegula, Iga Swiatek, and Sabalenka. The third seed lost to Barbora Krejcikova in her last round-robin contest, but she had already qualified for the semifinals.
Zheng finished second in the other group with victories over Elena Rybakina and Jasmine Paolini to go along with a setback against Sabalenka. The Paris Olympics gold medalist then knocked off Krejcikova 6-3, 7-5 on Friday.
If Gauff’s serve is working in the final, she should have the edge. She double-faulted 11 times against Swiatek but doubled just eight times combined in her other three matches. That will be the key factor on Saturday. Given that Gauff’s serve has been good for the most part in Riyadh and also since she beat Zheng on an unfavorable surface earlier in the year, look for Gauff to lift the trophy.
Pick: Gauff in 3
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If Gauff improves her serve she will be a force to record with. I am a zGauff fan and I wish her serve improves
needs some serious work in the offseason