American tennis star Coco Gauff put in a sensational display to beat world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka and book a place in the final of the WTA Finals in Riyadh, where she will face Qinwen Zheng.
Gauff twice battled back from a break down to take the opening set in a tie-break, before romping through the second to clinch a 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 victory.
Gauff broke Sabalenka on four straight occasions in the second set on her march to the final, allowing for a late wobble when twice dropping her own serve.
“I’m happy with the way I played,” Gauff said after her semi-final win. “I know that coming up against Aryna, she’s always going to be a tough match, she is world No 1 for a reason.
“Zheng is playing great tennis too, but I just need to play confidently, that will help me win. I’m not nervous. Being here is a reward for the season I’ve had.”
The 20-year-old American will take on Zheng in the final, the Olympic champion from the Paris Games this summer cruising past Barbora Krejcikova 6-3 7-5 in the other semi-final.
It caps a remarkable run for the Chinese 22-year-old who is making her maiden appearance at the WTA Finals.
Zheng powers into final on WTA Finals debut
Zheng, who has won 30 of her last 35 matches on tour, continued her remarkable recent form in powering past this year’s Wimbledon champion Krejcikova.
The Czech had been the surprise package of the Finals, beating Gauff in her final pool match on Thursday to book her place in the last four, eliminating defending champion Iga Swiatek in the process.
Zheng looked in complete control when up a set and 3-0 ahead in the second but one poor service game let Krejcikova back in and the two-time Grand Slam winner almost forced a decider.
But Zheng again wrestled the momentum her way with the crucial break of serve in the 11th game of the second set and went on to take her second match point.
“It feels so special,” Zheng said in her on-court interview afterwards. “This is my first WTA Finals and I’m in a final. That’s really unbelievable.
“It was tricky because at 3-0 I think I dropped my focus, my performance went down and then she played more free.
“I didn’t panic, I just said let’s get back my focus. It was a really hard match for me but it just shows I’m mentally strong.”
Zheng is the second Asian player to reach the final of the season-ending event after her compatriot Li Na, and the youngest since Petra Kvitova in 2011.
