American tennis player Coco Gauff created history as the youngest WTA Finals winner after beating Zheng Qinwen.
According to Malay Mail, the 20-year-old claimed a dominating 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/2) victory over the Olympic champion in the second-longest WTA final of the year on Saturday, November 9, 2024, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
She made an incredible comeback during a three-hour and four-minute final after a 3-6, 1-3 deficit to claim the WTA Finals title.
Gauff expressed, “This means a lot to me. This is the first professional women’s tennis event here in Saudi Arabia, and I’ll forever be etched in history for that standard. It’s the second biggest title in our sport, so it means a lot. And just to be etched in history forever, it’s pretty cool, and hopefully there’s more events here.”
After winning the finals, the tennis player earned a record-breaking $4.8 million, which is the largest payout in professional tennis history.
Gauff asserted, “I don’t know what I’ll do with it; that’s a lot of money. What did you say? 4.8 (million)? I hope I’m one of the highest-paid female tennis players this year, or athletes, so that would be exciting.”
Meanwhile, Qinwen, who has won 31 of her last 37 matches during the 2024 bid, said, “The match today came down to just a couple of important points. It was very close. And at the end, when you play these types of matches, it’s not about tennis; it’s about choices on the court.”
“It hurts to lose this match, of course, but I think it’s better I forget it and move on to my next steps,” she continued.
To note, Gauff becomes the youngest WTA Finals champion since Maria Sharapova in 2004, the year of her birth.
