Down a set and twice down a break in the deciding set, Coco Gauff pulled off a spectacular comeback against Zheng Qinwen to claim her first WTA Finals victory on Saturday.
Making her third appearance at the season-ending event, Gauff defeated the Chinese No. 7 seed 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2) over the course of three highly entertaining hours. The 20-year-old became the youngest player to win the WTA Finals since Maria Sharapova (17 years, 210 days) in 2004.
Gauff is set to take home $4,805,000 for her victory—the largest payout at a WTA Tour-event—while runner-up Zheng will take home $2,305,000.
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She had to mount a massive effort to get there, defeating the tournament’s No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, respectively, on her way to the final. Gauff also fought past Jessica Pegula and Babora Krejcikova in the Orange Group without dropping a set.
