Jessica Pegula, Ben Shelton, Serena Williams' ex-coach & tennis world react to Coco Gauff's remarkable WTA Finals 2024 triumph
Jessica Pegula, Ben Shelton, Serena Williams' former coach Rennae Stubbs, and other members of the tennis community celebrated Coco Gauff's victory at the 2024 WTA Finals. The 20-year-old recorded her maiden triumph at the year-end championships, securing her biggest title of the season.
Gauff squared off against Zheng Qinwen in a thrilling title clash at the WTA Finals, with the Chinese winning the opening set 6-3. However, the World No. 3 bounced back strongly to secure the second set and level the scores. Although she suffered an early break of serve in the deciding set, the American's resilience shone through as she denied Zheng the chance to serve out the match, forcing a tiebreak.
Coco Gauff then delivered an impressive performance in the tiebreak to claim a dramatic 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(2) victory in three hours and four minutes, marking the longest final in tournament history.
With her triumph, the 20-year-old became the youngest player to win the WTA Finals singles title since Maria Sharapova triumphed as a 17-year-old in 2004, as well as the first American since Serena Williams emerged victorious in 2014.
Well wishes flooded in for Coco Gauff after her stellar victory, with Jessica Pegula, Ben Shelton, and Christopher Eubanks celebrating their compatriot's remarkable triumph.
"Different 😤 @ccogauff," Eubanks wrote.
"🫶👏," Pegula posted.
Rennae Stubbs took pride in accurately predicting that the American would prevail at the year-end championships if she got her double faults under control, congratulating Gauff on her maiden WTA Finals title win.
"Congrats to @CocoGauff on winning her first @WTAFinalsRiyadh tournament. I said if she cut her double faults to under 6 per match she would win the tournament. Today her DFs were, 4 in a 3 hr match! Well down to her & her team. Zheng will learn from this loss as it was in her ✋," Stubbs posted on X.
Tennis legends Boris Becker and Billie Jean King also applauded the World No. 3 for ending her 2024 season on a high note with her victory in Riyadh.
"Congratulations 🥂 @CocoGauff winning the @WTAFinalsRiyadh for the first time! Great finish in 2024," Becker wrote.
"Congratulations to the WTA Finals champion, @CocoGauff! She is the first American to win WTA Finals singles title since Serena Williams in 2014," she commented.
Pam Shriver lauded Coco Gauff for producing one of the season's best matches with Zheng Qinwen, while Ellen Perez humorously expressed her wish to be as "cool" as the 20-year-old.
"Congratulations to @CocoGauff and her team. Fun to have today’s final be one of the best matches of the year. 👏👏👏👏," Shriver posted.
"God I wish I was as cool as Coco," Perez wrote.
"I'm really proud of myself" - Coco Gauff on clinching her maiden WTA Finals title
Amid the outpouring of love and admiration from the tennis community, Coco Gauff also took pride in her resilience to fight back from the brink of defeat and emerge victorious at the 2024 WTA Finals.
Speaking in her post-match press conference, Gauff shed light on her efforts to stay present and focused when she fell behind in the riveting contest against Zheng Qinwen.
"Just staying resilient, fighting for every point. I know I was like a couple points away from losing, but, you know, I just tried to stay in the moment, honestly, and I'm really proud of myself," Coco Gauff said.
Chris Evert was also impressed by Coco Gauff's "mental strength," fawning over the World No. 3's fortitude after her victory. Gauff joined the 18-time Grand Slam champion in an elite list with her triumph in Riyadh, becoming only the fourth American to win the WTA Finals before turning 21 years old, alongside Evert, Tracy Austin, and Serena Williams.