WTA Finals, Qinwen Zheng and Coco Gauff in the finals.

WTA Finals, Qinwen Zheng and Coco Gauff in the finals

Qinwen Zheng, world number 7, and Coco Gauff, number 3, are the finalists at the WTA Finals in Riyadh. The Chinese player beat Czech Barbora Krejcikova, No. 13, 6-3 7-5, and the U.S. got the better of WTA No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus 7-6 6-3. Similar scores then for the two semifinals.

Almost an’hour and 40 the duration of the first semifinal, in which Zheng è went immediately up 3-0 in the first set and then maintained the lead until the end of the partial, never conceding a break ball and at the third set point after having two at 5-2.

Many more breaks in the second set: Zheng still goes 3-0 up but with a two break lead, however she gets caught up at 3-3 after missing a break ball at 3-1. At 5-5 the decisive break and Zheng, after canceling a tie-break ball, closes on the second match point.

In the second semifinal there are four breaks, two in the third and fourth games and two in the 11th and 12th, the first of the two mini-sets always in favor of Gauff, who misses two consecutive 4-2 balls after saving one on 0-1, then 
in the tie-break Coco flies to 6-1 and wins it 7-4 on fourth set point.

Gauff immediately breaks serve from Aryna in the second set at 1-1. From 3-1 there are as many as five consecutive breaks, with the U.S. going ahead twice by two breaks, 4-1 and 5-2, returning one on both occasions, the first of the after a 20-point game and seven break points saved, but on 5-3 the third double break that ends the match after one’hour and 50 minutes.