Coco Gauff downs Aryna Sabalenka to set up WTA Finals showdown with Zheng | Coco Gauff

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When Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka stared each other down just a month ago in Wuhan, Gauff clearly had the upper hand as she methodically established a set and break lead. But then, out of nowhere, her serve crumbled spectacularly. Although she fought brilliantly until the end, she was torpedoed by an astonishing 21 double faults.

Having already been on the tour for half a decade, it’s sometimes easy to forget that Gauff, at 20, is still growing, still a work in progress. Over the course of this week, Gauff has shown the results of some of those advances as she arrived in Riyadh with significant adjustments to her game, and she has used them to play some of the best tennis of her career. On Friday, Gauff delivered a brilliant performance against Sabalenka, the world No. 1, to reach the final of the WTA Finals with a spectacular 7-6 (4), 6-3 victory.

In the final, Gauff will face Zheng Qinwen, the Olympic gold medalist, in a matchup between the two youngest players in the top 10. Zheng extended her magnificent breakout season by reaching the final round of the WTA Finals for the first time in her career, and held a spirited comeback from Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova before closing out a hard-fought 6-3, 7-5 win. The 22-year-old will rise to a new career-high ranking of at least No.5 following her performance in Riyadh.

Throughout Gauff’s short career, no aspect of her game has been more scrutinized than her forehand, which she hits with an extreme western grip and has often been vulnerable to the best players in the world. This week, however, Gauff’s weaker fundamentals have been extremely solid. After splitting with her former coach Brad Gilbert after the US Open and hiring Matt Daly in his place, Gauff has also changed grip on her service movement.

Zheng Qinwen will face Coco Gauff in the final, in a battle between the top 10’s youngest players. Photo: Robert Prange/Getty Images

These improvements were all evident in her rematch against the best player in the world, Sabalenka. In a scrappy opening set, Gauff served well and she soaked up Sabalenka’s enormous pace brilliantly with her forehand while maintaining consistent depth throughout. Meanwhile, she made the field seem so narrow for Sabalenka with her remarkable defense. Although Sabalenka served for the set, Gauff picked up the break before playing an extremely clean tiebreak and then refusing to relinquish his momentum. This time she hit just two double faults throughout.

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Norrie ends the wait to reach the ATP final in Metz

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Cameron Norrie reached his first ATP Tour final of the season at the Moselle Open in Metz, beating France’s Corentin Moutet 6-2, 7-6 (5) to secure a return to the top 50.

It will be Norrie’s first final since winning his fifth ATP Tour title in Rio in February 2023 with victory over Carlos Alcaraz. The British No.2 has been on and off form since, returning to action last month after nearly three months out with a forearm injury.

Norrie broke in the first game of the match and took charge of the first set, then broke Moutet again early in the second set. But his opponent fought back with four games in a row before Norrie steadied the ship and forced a tie-break. Moutet led it 5-2, but Norrie got five points to secure the win in straight sets.

“It’s been a tough year for me and I was never really able to get any momentum going so it’s nice to end the last week of the year playing a final,” Norrie said. ‘I was right back to competing for every point. It was also nice to get my first indoor final … I’m really happy.’

Norrie will play another Frenchman, Benjamin Bonzi, in the final after he fought back to beat Alex Michelsen 4-6, 6-0, 7-5 in the other semi-final. PA Media

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Over the past few months, Sabalenka has been playing the best tennis of her career. She won her third grand slam title at the US Open plus the WTA 1000 events in Cincinnati and Wuhan, winning 21 out of 22 matches in the process. For once though, she looked tired and tense as she failed to match Gauff’s intensity. 2024 has marked the best season of her career, but Sabalenka ends the year with a tough loss.

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Meanwhile, Zheng’s run to the final in Riyadh is the result of a remarkably consistent run of form since this summer. Despite reaching her first grand slam final at the Australian Open this year. Zheng’s true breakthrough came when she won a historic Olympic singles gold medal in Paris, pulling off an incredibly upset victory against Swiatek along the way, and since then her momentum has only continued to grow. After compiling a 31-5 record since mid-July, Zheng will look to close out a spectacular season with another significant title.