JUST IN: WTA FINALS CHAMPIONS EMERGE

Gauff, seeded third, showcased her defensive prowess in the semifinals, where she defeated World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets. This win demonstrated her ability to neutralize Sabalenka’s powerful groundstrokes through resilient baseline play and efficient service games. Meanwhile, Zheng’s journey to the final included an impressive semifinal win over Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova, with her mental toughness helping her recover after a brief loss of focus.

 

 

Their matchup in Riyadh became historic, as Gauff and Zheng, ages 20 and 22, respectively, became the youngest pair in the WTA Finals title match since 2004. Both players entered the final with significant wins this season, positioning this rivalry as one to watch in women’s tennis. Every moment counted as the pressure increased with every stroke. It was thefirst time the championship will be decided by a 3rd set tie break since inception in 1972. The final between Coco Gauff and Qinwen Zheng is now the second-longest final in 2024 (3 hours and 4 minutes) : only Swiatek v Sabalenka in Madrid was longer (3 hours and 12 minutes). 

 

 

Finally, Coco Gauff came out victorious, coming from a set down to triumph over Qinwen Zheng 3-6, 6-4, 7-6. Gauff brushed aside world number 1, Sabalenka and 2 Swiatek respectively along the way to reach the final, becoming the youngest to do that after at the WTA Finals since Kim Clijsters in 2002 (Serena and Venus Williams). Extraordinary.

 

In the doubles category, Canadian-New Zealand pair of Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe claimed their doubles title at the 2024 WTA Finals, defeating Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova with a score of 7-5, 6-3 in a match lasting 1 hour and 35 minutes.