Coco Gauff Stuns World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka to Reach WTA Finals Championship Match

Coco Gauff is headed to the WTA Finals championship match.

The world No. 3 used her speed and defense to stun No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, 7-6(4), 6-3, in the semifinals on Friday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Gauff, who reached the semifinals the previous two years, will face No. 7 Qinwen Zheng, who beat Barbora Krejcikova, 6-3, 7-5. Gauff is 20, Zheng 22.

The winner takes home $2.5 million, and the runner-up $1.27 million.

“I’m happy with the way I played,” Gauff said on Tennis Channel. “I know going against Aryna, she’s always going to be a tough match, so I just tried to stay in it. She’s world No. 1 for a reason and I’m just happy with how I played today.”

Gauff improved to 5-4 against Sabalenka and ended a two-match losing streak including the Wuhan semifinals and the Australian Open semifinals. Sabalenka, who won the Australian Open and U.S. Open titles, ends the year at No. 1.

Gauff took the first set on her fourth set point after Sabalenka served for it. Serving at 4-6 in the breaker, Sabalenka cracked a forehand wide to give Gauff the set.

The American then broke early in the second set for a 2-1 lead and then went up a double-break for 4-1. Sabalenka earned a break back for 2-4.

But Gauff responded by breaking at love for 5-2 and then served for the match. She was broken and Sabalenka served at 3-5.

Gauff won it when Sabalenka drilled a backhand into the net on match point.

“A break in tennis means nothing,” Gauff said. “People think too much about it so I just needed to win a game to stay in the set. And yeah I was lucky I broke on that game.”

Gauff stirred some controversy among fans when she lost to Krejcikova in her final group stage match after beating world No. 2 Iga Swiatek and fellow American Jessica Pegula.

The loss eliminated Swiatek and some fans felt Gauff lost on purpose.

“Coco did it on purpose. Her joy at the end of the match… she’s so pathetic,” a fan tweeted.

“Coco Gauff gonna lose just so she doesn’t have to face iga again . What a f—-ing loser,” a fan wrote on X.

For now, Gauff is into the finals and can win the second biggest title of her career after capturing the U.S. Open in 2023.

“[Zheng] is playing great tennis,” Gauff said. “Just playing confident tennis will help me and give me the best shot at winning.

“I’m not really nervous, to be honest. Year-End I always consider it just a plus, and even being here I consider it a reward for the season that I had.”