Faraj Benlahoucine, Media365, published on Saturday November 9, 2024 at 10:48 p.m.
At the end of a breathtaking and stunning final, Coco Gauff got the better of Qinwen Zheng to win the first WTA Masters of her career at 20 years old.
Coco Gauff is a huge champion, so much so that we forget that she is only 20 years old. This Saturday by winning her first WTA Masters in Riyadh, she became the youngest player to win this tournament bringing together the queens of the little yellow ball since 2004. Twenty years ago, the Russian Maria Sharapova won this tournament at 17 years old. Beyond her age, Coco Gauff has re-entered the name of an American on the list ten years after Serena Williams’ last coronation. However, this title was particularly complicated to achieve.
Gauff, worthy heir of Sharapova and Serena Williams
It is very rare to be highlighted in a women’s tournament, the final of this WTA Finals lasted more than three hours, 3h07 precisely. Opposed to Qinwen Zheng, Coco Gauff appeared in great difficulty for a long time. After losing the first set, she was broken to trail 1-3 in the second set. She was nevertheless able to rely on more confident racket shots than those of her opponent and better control to turn the tide. Thanks in particular to the 30 unforced errors caused only in the third set (64 over the entire match), the American ended up winning with a score of 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(2).
Broken and led again in the last round (3-5), she sublimated herself to take three consecutive games and go to the decisive tie-break which she finally overcame (7-2). In difficulty this season, Coco Gauff lifts her third trophy. At the same time, it deprives the Chinese of a second glorious title in 2024 after her gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games this summer.
