WATCH: Coco Gauff falls to the floor in celebration after comeback win over Zheng Qinwen to seal WTA Finals 2024 triumph
Coco Gauff emerged victorious at the 2024 WTA Finals after an enthralling three-hour battle against Zheng Qinwen. The American was over the moon and grew emotional after converting the matchpoint in the close contest.
Zheng Qinwen began the title contest in Riyadh on the front foot. She broke Gauff midway through the first set to take the one-set advantage and was on the verge of winning the title when she served for the match at 5-4 in the second set. However, the American showed her resilience to break Zheng in that game and eventually level the score.
The Chinese No. 1 quickly hit the reset button for the deciding set and mustered another opportunity when serving for the match at 5-4. But she was again denied the chance as Gauff broke Zheng and staved off two match points to force a tiebreaker.
The 20-year-old ran the table in the tiebreaker as she won six points on the trot and converted her second match point opportunity to win the match, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2). Gauff overcame with emotions after winning the match and fell to the floor in disbelief before exchanging pleasantries with Zheng and the chair umpire.
Gauff talked about her celebration during her presentation ceremony and revealed that she did not plan to fall to the floor after winning the match as she had reserved that celebration for when she won a Grand Slam. However, the American could not help herself, given the circumstances under which she defeated Zheng.
"At the end of the match, when I, like, fell on the floor, I didn't think I was going to do that. I kind of, like, made a promise to myself that I will only save that for Grand Slams. But honestly, to the way the match went, I was like, 'I'm just tired. I just want to lay on the ground,'" Gauff said.
Coco Gauff earns biggest prize money in WTA Tour history for winning WTA Finals 2024
Coco Gauff racked up 1,500 ranking points and earned $4.805 million in prize money for winning the 2024 WTA Finals. This is the largest prize money awarded in WTA Tour history, topping Ashleigh Barty's $4.42 million payout for winning the 2019 WTA Finals in Shenzhen, China. Meanwhile, Zheng Qinwen clocked $2.305 million for her runners-up finish at the 2024 WTA Finals.
Coco Gauff was seeded third at this year's year-end championships. In the group stages, she defeated Jessica Pegula and Iga Swiatek in straight sets and got the better of Aryna Sabalenka to reach the title contest. By winning the WTA Finals title at just 20 years old, the American became the youngest winner of the tournament since Maria Sharapova in 2004.
The former US Open champion will end her season as the World No. 3 for the second year in a row, courtesy of her triumph in Riyadh. On the 2024 WTA Tour, Gauff successfully defended her title at the ASB Classic in Auckland and picked up her second WTA 1000 accolade at the China Open.