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Coco Gauff's triumph over Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals of the 2024 WTA Finals has impressed fans. They marveled at the young American who won matches against the World No. 1 and the World No. 2 in the same week.
Gauff is currently competing at the WTA Finals as the third seed. She kicked off her tournament with a comfortable straight-set win over Jessica Pegula. Following this, she claimed a statement win over the World No. 2 Iga Swiatek to confirm her spot in the semifinals. The American lost to Barbora Krejcikova and finished second in the orange group.
The 20-year-old defeated World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 7-6(4), 6-3 to book her ticket into the finals.
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Fans took to X to react to Gauff's monumental triumph. One fan quipped how the American's final against Zheng Qinwen won't sit right with Iga Swiatek.
"coco qinwen wta finals final gonna awaken soemthin profoundly nasty in iga expect only 3 losses next szn," the fan quipped.
Another fan mentioned how the two finalists were also finalists at the 2018 Orange Bowl, a prestigious juniors tournament.
"The story of Coco Gauff vs Zheng Qinwen: From finalists at the 2018 Orange Bowl…to finalists at the 2024 WTA Finals!" the fan reminisced.
Here are some other reactions from fans.
"Coco Gauff defeated the World #1 and World #2 in the SAME week. I don’t want to hear SH!T about her. You WILL FOCKING respect her!" a fan said.
"80% of the world is covered by water. The rest is covered by Coco Gauff," a fan joked.
"Coco Gauff has just re-announced herself, beating world #1 and #2 en route to the final!" a fan opined.
"Disappointed for Aryna but Coco and Qinwen is actually an interesting match up for the final," a fan thought.
Gauff had an underwhelming 2024 season, albeit by her standards, as she failed to clinch a Major. Though she started the year guns blazing, winning a title in Auckland and reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open, she struggled to maintain the same rhythm moving forward.
After a disappointing run at the US Open, the American parted ways with Brad Gilbert and brought Matt Daly on board ahead of the Asian swing. Their partnership saw immediate results as she won the title in Beijing and reached the semifinals in Wuhan.
"I’m not really nervous, to be honest" - Coco Gauff exudes confidence ahead of her finals against Zheng Qinwen at the WTA Finals 2024
During her post-match interview, Coco Gauff said that she was happy to have toppled Aryna Sabalenka, who she knew was going to be a 'tough' opponent. The American now leads their head-to-head 5-4.
“I’m happy with how I played. I know going against Aryna it’s always going to be tough. I just tried to stay in it. She’s world #1 for a reason. I’m just happy with how I played today."
Speaking on her final against Zheng Qinwen, Gauff said that she wasn't nervous about it and felt that the position she currently found herself in was a reward for her hard work throughout the year,
“She’s playing great tennis. Just playing confident tennis will help give me the best shot at winning. I’m not really nervous ,to be honest. I always consider Year-End Finals just a plus. Being here is a reward for the season that I had.”
Coco Gauff and Zheng Qinwen have played each other only once. Their meeting came at the Italian Open this year where Gauff reigned supreme in straight sets.
