Riyadh (dpa) – World number three Coco Gauff has won the WTA Finals for the first time and thus secured record prize money in women’s tennis. The American (20) won an exciting and hard-fought final in Riyadh after several deficits against the Chinese Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen (22) 3:6, 6:4, 7:6 (7:2).
Together with the prize money from the group games, she collected around 4.8 million US dollars, which, according to the women’s organization WTA, is more prize money than ever before for a female tennis player. The final was marked by several twists and turns. In the meantime, things were already pointing to a victory for the Chinese.
Gauff then clearly won the decisive tiebreak in the third set after missing two match points at 6:5. In the semi-finals, Gauff defeated the world number one Aryna Sabalenka and thus ended the tournament of the eight best tennis players of the season for the Belarusian.
The awarding of the WTA Finals to Saudi Arabia until 2026 is also viewed critically. The kingdom is also accused of using sport to distract attention from its human rights violations and to improve its image.
Zheng Qinwen ended Kerber’s Olympic dream
Zheng Qinwen attracted attention in German sports in the summer because she defeated Angelique Kerber in a dramatic marathon match in the quarterfinals of the Olympic Games in France. For the former world number one from Kiel, the defeat meant the end of her career.
The men’s counterpart as the year-end tournament begins on Sunday in Turin. Hamburg’s Alexander Zverev is one of the favorites at the ATP Finals.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:241109-930-284194/1
