As Coco Gauff faced a 5-3 third-set deficit in a grueling battle, the odds of victory seemed to be slipping away with each point. However, in her young career, the American's resilience has been a steadfast resource when all else has faltered. She has repeatedly found a way to triumph from seemingly hopeless situations. In one of the most significant finals of her career, Gauff spent nearly the entire three hours on court simply fighting to stay in the match against an opponent who was in peak form. Somehow, in the desperate final moments of a brilliant contest, Gauff managed to overcome Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2) and claim her first WTA Finals title.

At just 20 years old, Gauff is the youngest champion at the WTA Finals since Maria Sharapova won in 2004 at the age of 17. She achieved this feat the hard way, defeating the top two players, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, and then Zheng, the Olympic gold medalist. This victory marks Gauff's third career title and ninth overall, with a 9-1 record in finals reflecting her immense toughness under pressure.

For her efforts in Saudi Arabia, Gauff earned a staggering $4,805,000 (£3.7m) in prize money, the largest sum in women's sports history and the most any tennis player, male or female, has ever earned at a tour-sanctioned event. Last month, Saudi Arabia paid Jannik Sinner $6m, the largest prize in tennis history, after he won the Six Kings Slam exhibition event.

Throughout this year, Zheng's success has been driven by her powerful first serve, heavy topspin forehand, and determination to take the initiative and maintain control. Gauff's defense, however, forced the pair into intense, physical rallies throughout the first set. Zheng remained impressively disciplined, patiently dictating the baseline without over-pressing. It was Gauff who began to lose focus, her backhand faltering as Zheng took the opening set and then surged to a 6-3, 3-1 lead.

Down 3-2 in the second set, Gauff decided to push herself closer to the baseline and take the initiative. She quickly regained the break on her own terms, ending a spectacular return game fueled by sustained aggression from her improved forehand before breaking Zheng's serve twice more to force a final set. Yet, the 22-year-old Chinese player reasserted herself and built a 5-3 lead.

On the brink of defeat, Gauff completely locked down her game. She gave nothing away, maintained impeccable depth with her formerly erratic forehand, and chased down every ball. Despite Zheng saving two championship points on her serve at 5-6, Gauff was relentless. She sealed the second-biggest title with a commanding tie-break.

This has been a fascinating year in Gauff's burgeoning career. She has struggled with her forehand and serve, changed coaches, and faced significant scrutiny throughout. Yet, she ends the year playing some of the best tennis of her career, her forehand holding up remarkably well this week against three of the game's heaviest hitters. Gauff is perfectly positioned to chase more significant titles in the years to come.

Meanwhile, Cameron Norrie suffered a frustrating 7-6 (6), 6-4 loss to Benjamin Bonzi of France in the final of the Metz ATP 250 event. Despite fighting hard and creating numerous opportunities, the British men's No 2 was punished for failing to convert 13 of his 14 break points, including 10 missed chances in a crucial game at 4-4 in the opening set.

Norrie has had a challenging few months after being sidelined for nearly three months due to a left forearm injury. After dropping out of the top 50 during his absence, Norrie was deeply frustrated after losing all three of his ATP matches upon his return. With four wins and a 15th career ATP final this week, there are plenty of positives for Norrie to build on as he aims to re-establish himself among the world's best players.

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