Coco Gauff Stuns Aryna Sabalenka To Reach Riyadh Final

Coco Gauff stunned top-ranked player Aryna Sabalenka 7-6 (4), 6-3 to reach her first final of the season-ending tournament WTA World Tour Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The American will set up a WTA Finals showdown against Qinwen Zheng. The rising star Chinese beat Wimbledon winner Barbora Krejcikova 6-3, 7-5 to reach her first final too.

Previously, the 20-year-old Gauff had already notched a rare win over Iga Swiatek in the group stage of the WTA Finals. Gauff continues to increase her performances after two losses in her 14 matches since her US Open title defense ended early in the fourth round in September. 

Coco Gauff Set Other Records On Her Way To the Final 

Coco Gauff is setting another record after defeating the World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in 1 hour, 49 minutes at the WTA Finals semifinal match. At 20, she’s the youngest player to make the final at the WTA Finals since Caroline Wozniacki in 2010. Gauff has also seen her match a remarkable record set by Serena Williams over 20 years ago. 

Her triumph means Gauff had won 22 matches against former Grand Slam champions – the record Serena Williams made by the time she turned 21. Gauff matched this incredible achievement even before her 21st birthday next March. She still has plenty of time to break the record. Gauff recorded her 21st victory over a previous Grand Slam champion against Iga Swiatek on Tuesday. Had she beaten this year’s Wimbledon winner, Barbora Krejcikova, she would now be the outright holder of the record Williams held for so long. 

Gauff Will Face Amazing Final Clash

In her final debut, Coco Gauff will face the seventh-seeded Qinwen Zheng. The Chinese star fired nine aces and won 31 of 40 first-serve points en route to dismissing the eighth-seeded Krejcikova in 1 hour, 40 minutes. Zheng improved to 31-5 in her matches since Wimbledon. Zheng became the first Chinese player – man or woman – to win 50 matches in a single season when she defeated Krejcikova. 

Gauff is aiming to become the first American champion since Serena Williams 10 years ago. But, she had an in-form opponent that certainly won’t make her way easier. The Chinese debutante Zheng has had a remarkable season after being the Australian Open finalist. Then, she took home the Paris Olympic Games this summer as the first Chinese player to do so. Now, she is in her third big finals of the WTA Tour this season.  

Coco Gauff Could End Her Season With Big Smiles

Coco Gauff has overcome some patchy form to reach the WTA Finals showpiece event. Her performances dipped during the summer and she suffered an underwhelming defense of her US Open title. She lost in the fourth round to her compatriot Emma Navarro.

But a recent coaching change has made some improvements. She signed it with the China Open title in October. The Georgia-born star is ranked third in the world. Despite having a slip on her way to the semifinals stage with a loss to Krejcikova, Coco Gauff bounced back with a huge victory against Aryna Sabalenka. Now, Zheng Qinwen would be her next test.  

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