Coco Gauff beat Aryna Sabalenka to advance to the final of the WTA Finals for the first time in her career.
Gauff has experienced another strong year on the WTA Tour winning two titles and reaching number three in the world.
The 20-year-old enjoyed success at the Majors in 2024, as Gauff reached the French Open semi-finals, losing out to eventual winner Iga Swiatek.
Gauff lost in the fourth round of the US Open however, unable to defend her title which she won in 2023 as a teenager.
The dip in form prompted Gauff to make the decision to change coaches, bringing in Matt Daly for the departing Brad Gilbert after the US Open.
The move proved successfull fast, as Gauff won the biggest title of her season soon after Daly joined her team.
Gauff won the China Open, this October, beating Karolina Muchova in straight sets, to take home her second career WTA 1000 title.
Gauff’s impressive results in 2024 were enough to qualify her for the WTA Finals where she had advanced to the semi-finals with wins over Jessica Pegula and Iga Swiatek.
Aryna Sabalenka was her opponent in the last four, and one tennis legend gave his thoughts on what helped Gauff come out on top.
Tim Henman says Coco Gauff’s ‘speed’ was key to WTA Finals win
Tim Henman was speaking to Sky Sports after Gauff’s 7-6, 6-3 victory over Sabalenka and revealed what he thought was the key to her victory.
“It is just such an admirable quality of Gauff that she finds a way to get the job done,” he said.
“Sabalenka was throwing everything at her, but she keeps responding.
“Her athletic ability and her ability to use her speed and ask her opponent to hit one more shot, I think that really was the difference today.”
Henman also made it clear that the match felt more intense than perhaps the result would suggest.
“It was such a tight match,” he said.
“The scoreline says it was straight sets but it felt like an epic.”
Will Coco Gauff be the favorite against Qinwen Zheng in the final of the WTA Finals?
Gauff and Zheng will be contesting both of their first WTA Finals championship matches on Saturday, but it’s tough to say who the favorite is.
The Chinese star has been in unbelievable form this season, as Zheng won Olympic gold earlier this year in Paris, beating Swiatek along the way.
She then backed up her Olympic success with strong performances at both Asian WTA 1000 tournaments, reaching the semi-finals in Beijing, before Zheng lost to Sabalenka in the Wuhan Open final.
Zheng picked up another WTA title in Asia, winning in Tokyo, capping off an incredible season and riding a huge wave of momentum as she headed to Saudi Arabia.
Gauff’s form needs no further explanation, but it’s clear that Gauff’s pedigree as a Grand Slam champion isn’t enough to establish herself as a clear favorite for the final.
Once again it is likely to be the player who can make the least mistakes that will come home with the trophy, if Gauff can limit her double faults, then it could well be her title to lose.
Gauff and Zheng will face off for the WTA Finals crown in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
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