After beating Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2) to win the WTA Finals, USA’s Coco Gauff hits back at naysayers; says proving people wrong serves as motivation
USA’s Coco Gauff celebrates with the winners’ trophy after defeating China’s Zheng Qinwen at the WTA Finals in Riyadh on Saturday. Pic/AFP
Coco Gauff won the WTA Finals for the first time by rallying to beat Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2) in the final.
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The 20-year-old American came from 2-0 and 5-3 down in the final set and was two points from defeat at one stage.
Yet she took the set to a tiebreaker and won the first six points. Zheng threatened a comeback but Gauff took the victory off her third match point with a forehand winner as she came into the net.
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She is the first American to win the Finals since Serena Williams in 2014, and received $4.8 million in prize money. She also is the youngest player to win it since Maria Sharapova in 2004, the year Gauff was born.
Gauff beat the world’s top two players — Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek — on her run to the final at the season-ending event in Riyadh.
She felt vindicated after that and appeared to take a swipe at observers who wrote her off.
“I just love to say I’m right. Specifically today, I got comments about how I was going to lose badly, so I was just like, ‘OK, we’ll see,’ ” Gauff explained. “It’s honestly just liking the idea of just proving people wrong and, and letting your racquet do the talking. And so, yeah, I use it as motivation.”
Gauff edged the three-hour final which included 26 break points. Gauff also won their only previous meeting, in the Rome quarter-final on clay in May.
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