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WTA Finals Preview: Coco Gauff vs. Qinwen Zheng

Coco Gauff and Qinwen Zheng battle for the Billie Jean King Trophy on Saturday.

Pat Benson

Coco Gauff faces Qinwen Zheng in the WTA Finalson Saturday.
Coco Gauff faces Qinwen Zheng in the WTA Finalson Saturday. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Coco Gauff and Qinwen Zheng did not enter the WTA Finals as favorites. Yet, the season-ending championship tournament has been full of exciting play and surprises.

It resulted in the youngest pair of finalists at the season-ending championships since Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova in 2004. Luckily, both players are entering the final match healthy and playing at a high level.

While Aryna Sabalenka has already clinched the year-end WTA World No. 1 spot, there are still rankings, prize money, and bragging rights on the line.

Match Information

Gauff and Zheng are scheduled to play at 11:00 a.m. EST on Saturday, November 9. Fans in the United States can watch the match on the Tennis Channel. Fans from anywhere in the world can check out the WTA website for more detailed television listings.

Head-to-Head History

While Gauff and Zheng have known each other for many years, they have only played once at the tour level. Earlier this year, Gauff defeated Zheng in straight sets at the Italian Open semifinals: 7-6(4), 6-1. However, that was one match on a clay court. Tomorrow's match is on a hard court indoors.

Rankings

Gauff hit a career-high earlier this year when she became the WTA World No. 2. She has since slid down to No. 3 and eventually changed coaches which showed immediate improvement. Her record entering the WTA Finals was 48-15 with two singles titles. The three-seed is 4-0 in the WTA Finals.

Zheng entered the WTA Finals as the World No. 7 with a record of 41-16 with two singles titles. She has been playing some of the best tennis of her career this year, which included winning a gold medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics. After losing to Sabalenka in the first match, the seven-seed has picked up three consecutive wins.

Prize Money

Gauff and Zheng have each earned roughly $2.3 million in prize money. Saturday's winner will take home an additional $2.5 million, bringing the champion's total take to just over $4.8 million. It is the largest prize money check in the history of women's professional tennis.

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Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers the sneaker industry for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Previously, he has reported on the NBA, authored "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)," and interviewed some of the biggest names in the sports world. You can email him at 1989patbenson@gmail.com.

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