Coco Gauff completes dream run to become youngest to win WTA Finals in 20 years
By Issy Ronald and Kevin Dotson, CNN
(CNN) — American tennis sensation Coco Gauff ended her season in style Saturday, rallying to defeat China’s Zheng Qinwen 3-6 6-4 7-6 (2) to win the WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The 20-year-old capped a run that saw her become the youngest player since Maria Sharapova in 2004 to win the prestigious tournament reserved for the best players in the world.
Gauff’s triumph brings with it an eye-popping prize of over $4.8 million dollars, the largest single prize in WTA history, according to the Tennis Channel.
Gauff added more footnotes to the record books, becoming the youngest player to beat the reigning world No. 1 and No. 2 at the WTA Finals since Kim Clijsters in 2002, per Opta.
Coco Gauff stunned world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 7-6 (4) 6-3 in a back and forth thriller in the semifinals on Friday.
Earlier in the tournament, Gauff downed No. 2 Iga Świątek 6-3 6-4 in the group stage.
And in a neat symmetry, Gauff and Zheng, 22, were also the youngest pair to appear in the final since 2004 when a 17-year-old Sharapova defeated a 23-year-old Serena Williams.
The Chinese star defeated Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejčíková in the semifinals, becoming the youngest player to reach the final in her debut appearance at this tournament since 2011.
“I asked (about the record) as soon as I got the match,” Gauff said of the historically young final, per the WTA. “I asked: ‘Was this the youngest? It has to be some kind of record.’ I asked the Sky team, what was the answer. They didn’t have it, but that’s good to know.
“It was 2004. The year I was born was the last time, so in my lifetime, basically, I’ve never seen it. That’s pretty cool. It just shows age is a number both ways, old and young.”
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