After initially having 'reservations' about playing in Saudi Arabia, Coco Gauff became the youngest player to win the WTA Finals since 2004.
Coco Gauff was originally concerned about playing in Saudi Arabia this week - but now, it's hard to imagine she regrets making the trip. The 20-year-old won the WTA Finals over Zheng Qinwen of China on Saturday, her first tournament title. Gauff lost the first set, 3-6, but then won the next two 6-4, 7-6 , becoming the youngest winner of the event since 2004, when Maria Sharapova did it at age 17.
She went undefeated in the round-robin tournament, defeating U.S. Open runner-up Jessica Pegula, five-time grand slam winner Iga Swiatek, 2024 Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejčíková, and 2024 U.S. Open champ and World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, whom Gauff defeated in the 2023 U.S. Open final. Prior to the tournament, though, Gauff admitted she had her 'reservations' about playing in Saudi Arabia, citing the country's treatment of women and the LGBTQ community.
We spoke with a lot of women here in Saudi. One of them was Princess Reema. Multiple calls with her, how the best approach would be to enter into this different place that women have never kind of – women from U.S. – have never kind of been in,' Gauff said. But now, Gauff feels a sense of responsibility to better the country's human rights record. I do think that sport can have a way to open doors to people. I think in order to kind of want change, you have to see it.
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