RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Coco Gauff won the WTA final for the first time, beating Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2) in the final on Saturday.
The 20-year-old American came back from 2-0 and 5-3 down in the final set and was two points from defeat at one point.
Yet she led the set in the tiebreaker and won the first six points. Zheng threatened to come back, but Gauff secured victory on her third match point with a forehand winner as she entered the net.
Gauff beat the world’s two best players – Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek – on her run to the final at the season-ending event in Riyadh.
Zheng was looking to finish a season in which she reached a Grand Slam final for the first time at the Australian Open and succeeded China wins first Olympic tennis singles gold.
In the doubles final, Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand defeated Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic and Taylor Townsend of the United States 7-5, 6-3.
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AP Tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
