In a nail-biting clash of rising tennis stars, 20-year-old American Coco Gauff rallied to defeat China's Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(2) at the WTA Finals in Riyadh on Saturday, securing her first career title at the prestigious season-ending event. 🌟 The victory makes Gauff the youngest champion since Maria Sharapova in 2004 and the first American to lift the trophy since Serena Williams in 2014.
Zheng, 22, electrified fans early by dominating the first set with powerful baseline shots, matching Chinese trailblazer Li Na’s record as the highest-performing player from China at the WTA Finals. Though she narrowly missed the title, Zheng will break into the world’s Top 5 rankings next week—a career milestone. 🚀
The match swung like a TikTok trend: Zheng seized a 2-0 lead in the second set before Gauff unleashed her signature speed and grit, winning five straight games. The decider saw both players trading jaw-dropping winners until Gauff’s clutch tiebreak performance sealed her victory. 💪
\"This is the stuff I dreamed about as a kid,\" Gauff said post-match, while Zheng vowed to return stronger: \"I’ll keep chasing that trophy.\" 🏆
