Gauff wins WTA Finals after epic battle with Zheng

Coco Gauff showed ultimate determination to travel from down against Zheng Qinwen to triumph the season-ending WTA Finals.

In an enthralling brushwood that lasted conscionable implicit 3 hours, the American bushed the Olympic champion 3-6 6-4 7-6 (7-2) successful Saudi Arabia.

At 20 years old, she is the youngest subordinate to triumph the tourney since Maria Sharapova precisely 2 decades ago, and the youngest American since Serena Williams successful 2001.

"That was a large match, I was conscionable trying my champion to bent successful determination and I ne'er gave up," Gauff told Sky Sports.

"Sometimes you tin deliberation [you're not going to win] but I conscionable pushed that thought away. I was telling myself, 'another point, different chance'.

"I've been successful situations similar this successful the past wherever I've been capable to crook it astir and I conscionable hoped I could bash it again today."

In progressing to Saturday's showpiece, Gauff had go the youngest subordinate to scope the title lucifer astatine the WTA Finals since Caroline Wozniacki successful 2010.

She had not dropped a acceptable en route, and had seen disconnected some the satellite fig 1 and 2 successful Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, and she piled the unit connected her hostile successful the aboriginal stages against Zheng.

In what was lone their 2nd gathering - Gauff having won their archetypal successful consecutive sets successful Rome earlier this twelvemonth - Zheng, 22, was forced to prevention 4 interruption points, including 3 successful an enthralling 5th game.

But it was the Chinese seventh effect who got the decisive interruption successful the opener, a treble responsibility from Gauff aft a hat-trick of unforced errors giving Zheng the vantage and the accidental to service retired the set.

Yet those errors looked to person had nary ill-effect connected Gauff arsenic she recovered herself with a interruption backmost constituent successful the adjacent game, but squandered her accidental earlier gifting Zheng the acceptable with a backhand slammed into the net.

Zheng's service is 1 of her top weapons, but she struggled to amusement it disconnected against Gauff, with her archetypal of lone 4 aces coming astatine the commencement of the 2nd acceptable aft she had breached Gauff's service again.

With renewed determination, the American restored parity successful an outstanding instrumentality game, aft which the brace again traded breaks. But the unperturbed Gauff broke Zheng's service for the 3rd successive crippled to instrumentality the lucifer to a decider.

At the commencement of the 3rd set, Gauff saved 3 interruption points earlier conceding arsenic Zheng took backmost power connected her service - yet it was lone temporarily.

Gauff soon broke back, her good play astatine the nett rewarded arsenic Zheng sent a forehand long, earlier securing different emotion hold.

Zheng past won 3 successive games, dropping conscionable 4 points on the way, and looked to beryllium sauntering towards the win. But a crippled of errors erstwhile serving for the lucifer brought Gauff backmost into contention.

That was the commencement of the American's ain three-game run, her spree halted arsenic Zheng saved 2 title points to guarantee the tourney would beryllium decided by a tie-break.

That was utterly dominated by Gauff, who dropped to the level arsenic her forehand astatine the nett dropped into space.

Earlier connected Saturday, 2nd seeds Erin Routliffe and Gabriela Dabrowski won the doubles rubric successful Riyadh.

The New Zealand-Canadian brace bushed American Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic 7-5 6-3, avenging their nonaccomplishment successful the Wimbledon final.