On the date, Zheng Qinwen at the award ceremony. Photo by Wang Haizhou, Xinhua News Agency.

Gauff overcomes Zheng Qinwen in a nail-biting victory to claim her first year-end championship title.

On the evening of a certain day in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, at the final of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) year-end championships, American tennis star Coco Gauff, after a grueling three-set match, came from behind to narrowly defeat China's top player Zheng Qinwen, winning her first singles title at the year-end championships.

In this match, both sides started off in a tight contest. In the first seven games of the opening set, there were multiple deuces, but both managed to hold serve. The score was tied, but Zheng Qinwen, leading, won four consecutive points in the crucial eighth game, breaking serve first. She then saved a break point in her own service game to secure the set, winning it 6-3.

In the second set, both players engaged in a "break battle." Zheng Qinwen broke Gauff's serve in the first game, but Gauff kept close and completed two breaks in the sixth and eighth games, gaining the lead. Although Zheng Qinwen managed to break back in the ninth game, Gauff immediately broke again, leveling the set.

On the date, Zheng Qinwen returns a shot during the match. Photo by Wang Haizhou, Xinhua News Agency.

In the deciding set, Zheng Qinwen did not lose heart and continued to maintain a good form. Facing Gauff's active running and tenacious defense, Zheng Qinwen patiently engaged with her, forcing the opponent into errors while seizing opportunities to score decisive points, taking an early lead. However, Zheng Qinwen failed to capitalize on her chances, allowing Gauff to drag the match into a "tiebreak" with her resilience, and ultimately suffered a heartbreaking defeat in the "tiebreak."

With this victory, Gauff, at 19 years old, became the youngest singles champion at the year-end finals since Sharapova in 2004. "I knew I was just a few points away from defeat, but I just tried to stay focused, and I'm really proud of myself," Gauff said after the match. "I think both Zheng Qinwen and I have improved since our last encounter. She is an outstanding opponent and a great tennis player. It was a very intense match."

On the date, Zheng Qinwen at the award ceremony. Photo by Wang Haizhou, Xinhua News Agency.

Despite the loss to her opponent, Zheng Qinwen still saw positive aspects from this competition: "I think the positive aspect is that no matter what happens on the court, I am always striving hard. I had an excellent season. This is my first time participating in the year-end finals. Although the result of the final was not as expected, I still learned a lot." She said, "This is the charm of tennis—you give it your all, but victory doesn't always belong to you. However, if you persist, you will eventually wait for your opportunity."