Coco Gauff v Zheng Qinwen: WTA finals title decider

Key events

Second set: Zheng* 6-3, 1-0 Gauff (*denotes next server) Just the £2.5 million for winning this game, remember. The players pause between sets, Gauff opens a box and picks out something that looks like a handful of nuts. She immediately goes 15-0 down on her serve, but pulls back when Zheng feathers into the net and is so furious she wangs her foot with her racket. But she pounces on a pie from Gauff, and from deuce, powers on, winning a break point – and breaking immediately in the second set.

Zheng wins the first set 6-3!

First set: Zheng 6-3 Gauff* (*denotes next server) Gauff examines her racket, but is quickly 30-0 down on the Zheng serve. Zheng is not happy as she returns one into the net, muttering as she goes to wipe her face and racket on a towel. She hits long and is suddenly 40-30 down. But Gauff’s backhand goes out, and Zhang has suddenly whipped away the set.

First set: Zheng* 5-3 Gauff (*denotes next server) New balls – and a wild shot from Gauff gives Zheng the first point . The pattern continues and Gauff goes 0-40 down, eventually losing the game with a double fault. From no-where, she’s suddenly in trouble in the first set.

First set: Zheng 4-3 Gauff* (*denotes next server) Seventeen unforced errors at the start of this game for Zheng – which is ten more than Gauff. Indeed, Zheng’s average service games is lasting 6 mins 25 seconds, compared to 4 mins for Gauff. The lavender court continues to get a battering – and from 30-all, then deuce, Zheng takes the game.

First set: Zheng* 3-3 Gauff (*denotes next server) We pause while the umpire ticks someone off for moving in the crowd. Apparently there have been 21,000 people in over the course of the tournament – a capacity (4,000) crowd today and yesterday so probably half full the rest of the time, guesses Jonathan Overend. A steaming backhand from Zheng passes a diving Gauff to take the game to 30-all, which seems to galvanise Zheng. She wins a first break point against the Gauff serve – but then hands Gauff the advantage with a steaming but over-hit cross court forehand. Gauff fluffs one close to the net but goes on to close the game. This is magical tennis.

First set: Zheng 3-2 Gauff* (*denotes next server) A humdinger of a game bursting with huge shots and ferocious rallies. An inside out backhand wins Zheng the first point in her serve. Gauff is very quick, spanning the length of the base line like a woman in seven league boots. A inch-perfect forehand from Gauff, then Zheng hits long to give Gauff two break points. Zheng saves the game with a perfectly balanced cross court winner then a backhand down the line. Zheng saves a third break point, and Gauff is disgusted with herself after a limp forehand to give Zheng the advantage. But a cross-court forehand brings her back to deuce. Eventually though, Zheng wins out. They take a sit down.

First set: Zheng 2*-2 Gauff (*denotes next server) Gauff is wearing a deeper purple, almost a royal purple, dress, and a matching headband. A double fault is followed up by two outrageous first serves. Zheng pulls back to deuce but brilliant defence from Gauff in a squeaky shoed rally gives her the advantage, and she soon pockets the game

First set: Zheng 2-1 Gauff *(*denotes next server) Zheng hits a backhand into the net to make it 15-all, and Gauff battles back in a succession of power-hitting rallies, though ultimately nothing bears fruit. Pere Riba, Zheng’s coach, sits watching with folded arms.

First set: Zheng* 1-1 Gauff (*denotes next server) Wham-bam – Gauff wins the game in about 60 seconds with a steaming hold.

First set

First set: Zheng 1-0 Gauff * (*denotes next server) Here we go – Zheng, in purple pleated gym skirt and vest top to serve. The umpires quietens the crowd down. Gauff can’t do anything with first two serves, but pulls back when Zheng hits long in two rallies – and again to bring things to deuce after a 17-hit rally. Gauff gets a precious break point, but Zheng saves the set with a drilled forehand and then a monster serve.

Gauff is the youngest WTA Finals finalist since Caroline Wozniacki in 2010. Qinwen wins the toss and elects to serve. A huge crowd fill the arena and watches them warmup.

Who is going to win? The TV experts are split 1-1.

Out come the players!

First Zheng Qinwen, then Coco Gauff, both hand in hand with a mascot. Gauff wearing headphones, Qinwen not. Both are in purple – unless that’s the lights

Lots of chat about Gauff’s forehand. She changed her team, splitting with Brad Gilbert after the US Open, and joining forces with Matt Daly. Since then, she’s been storming up the rankings – and the forehand has been one of the main talking points.

“I don’t want to give too much of what’s going on, but there are changes happening,” Gauff said. “I’ve been playing with them since Beijing.”

Lots of flashing purple lights and heady drums in Riyadh, but Tim Henman is still in a smart jacket so no need to panic. I imagine the players will be out soon.

This was Tumaini Carayol’s take on the finals mid-week.

Preamble

Good afternoon! Welcome to the WTA final from Riyadh – a battle of the bright young things, between the USA’s Coco Gauff (20), who is finishing the season with a bang, and the charismatic Olympic gold medallist Zheng Qinwen (22) – whose record since an early defeat at Wimbledon has been astonishing, winning 31 of 36 matches, and picking up two titles plus that Paris triumph. She is playing in her first WTA final, the second Chinese player after Li Na.

The WTA finals are the biggest tournament outside the slams, with mega bucks -12 million dollars – available courtesy of the Saudis and their attempts to buy up tennis alongside much of the rest of sport. This is the first time a women’s tournament has been held in the Kingdom and it has gone ahead despite disquiet – with promises from both the WTA and Saudi Arabia that it will be a force for good. At the moment, the players are going along with it and happy with how things have gone – but Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova have called “a step backwards” for the game.

Play starts at 4pm approx GMT.