Gauff comes from behind to claim the title, while Zheng Qinwen finishes as runner-up in the Finals.

In the early hours of November 10, Beijing time, the 2024 WTA Finals came to a thrilling conclusion. No. 3 seed Coco Gauff staged a remarkable comeback after a grueling 3-hour, 4-minute battle, defeating No. 7 seed Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(2). This victory marked Gauff's first-ever title at the year-end finals—and it was also her third championship of the season and her ninth career title.

In this match, Zheng Qinwen earned the first break of serve in the opening set, clinching it 6-3. She again broke early in the second set, taking a 2-0 lead. However, Gauff managed to break back, leveling the score at 3-3. From there, Gauff held her serve and broke once more, extending her lead to 5-3. Although Zheng Qinwen fought back with a crucial break of her own, bringing the score to 5-4, Gauff ultimately broke her serve again in the next game, sealing a 4-6 loss in the second set.

In the deciding set, Zheng Qinwen once again broke her opponent's serve first, kicking off with a 2-0 lead—just like in the second set. But Gauff quickly responded, holding her own service game and breaking back to level the score at 2-2. After both players held their serves until 3-3, Zheng Qinwen seized control once more, clinching another break and holding her next service game to take a commanding 5-3 lead—and with it, the glimpse of victory.

The match then entered a tense phase that left Chinese fans on the edge of their seats. After Gao Fu held her serve, she broke her opponent’s serve again, leveling the score at 5-5. She followed up with another solid hold to take a 6-5 lead. Meanwhile, Zheng Qinwen faced a must-win situation on her own serve, trailing 15-40—but she rallied brilliantly, winning four consecutive points to narrowly hold and keep the match alive. The score was tied at 6-all, forcing a thrilling tiebreaker. In the tiebreak, Gao Fu surged ahead, racing to a commanding 6-0 lead, before Zheng Qinwen managed to claw back two crucial points. Ultimately, though, Gao Fu prevailed 7-2, narrowly edging out her opponent and securing a hard-fought victory. It was certainly an electrifying and nerve-wracking encounter, leaving both players—and the crowd—exhilarated as the triumphant Gao Fu erupted in wild cheers!

This year marks the third consecutive year that 20-year-old Gauff has qualified for the Year-End Finals. She kicked off her campaign by defeating world No. 2 Swiatek in the group stage, then stunned world No. 1 Sabalenka in the semifinals—setting up a thrilling showdown with 22-year-old Chinese star and Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen, the top-ranked women’s singles player from China. Notably, this is the youngest-ever Year-End Finals lineup since 2004, when 17-year-old Sharapova claimed victory over 23-year-old Serena Williams to clinch the title.

Although Zheng Qinwen lost in the final of the year-end championships, she still enjoyed a stellar 2024 season. After Wimbledon, she accumulated an impressive 31 wins and 6 losses, topping all players in terms of match wins during that stretch. Thanks to her outstanding performance in the finals, her year-end ranking will also break into the world’s top five for the first time.

Zheng Qinwen stepped onto the professional adult circuit in the 2020 season, breaking into the Top 100 by the second half of 2021, and began competing in Grand Slam tournaments in the 2022 season. At the Australian Open earlier in 2022, just under 20 years old, Zheng Qinwen officially caught the attention of tennis fans. In her women’s singles first-round match, she stunned everyone by defeating Sasnovich 2-1, delivering a memorable Grand Slam debut that left a lasting impression.

In the 2023 season, Zheng Qinwen experienced mixed results—she was eliminated in the second round of both the Australian Open and French Open, and unfortunately fell in the first round at Wimbledon. However, after clinching her first career tour-level title at the WTA 250 tournament in Palermo on clay, Zheng Qinwen regained her momentum and got back on track.

Reaching the quarterfinals at the US Open, claiming the Asian Games title in Hangzhou, and clinching the WTA 500 Zhengzhou title during China's season—she then finished as runner-up in the singles event at the WTA Finals in Zhuhai. Though she fell just short of securing a year-end Top 10 ranking, being named the 2023 WTA Most Improved Player award is undeniably her greatest recognition of the year.

From the 2020 to 2024 seasons, each year brought improvement and consistently left fans in awe. Looking ahead to the 2025 season already sparks exciting speculation—perhaps a Grand Slam singles title could emerge before we even realize it.