Coco Gauff secures her first title at the WTA Finals in Riyadh. After a false start, the 20-year-old American beat Zhen Qinwen from China 3:6, 6:4, 7:6 (7:2).
Things didn't look good for Gauff for a long time. The world number 3 had to turn around an early deficit in the second set. In the deciding set, her opponent was two points short of a big triumph at 5:3. But even when Zhen Qinwen (WTA 7) served for the tournament win, Gauff kept her cool.
The American survived all these awkward situations. In the end, she had two match points of her own before the tie-break, but was unable to convert them. The 2023 US Open winner then showed no weakness in the short decider. She quickly pulled away to 6:0 and converted her fifth match point.
Zhen Qinwen's defeat meant she missed out on the crowning glory of a terrific season. The 22-year-old won her first Grand Slam tournament this season at the Australian Open and became Olympic champion in Paris.
SDA
