Coco Gauff is one win away from WTA Finals glory.
The 20-year-old upset World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals of the season-ending tournament in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to reach the championship game.
She twice battled back from a break down to take the opening set in a tie-break, before flying through the second to clinch a 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 victory.
With that sensational win, Gauff become the third player since 2010 to score victories over both the World No. 1 and No. 2 at the WTA Finals, after beating Iga Swiatek in the group stage.
Now, she has a chance to do something that no one else has done in the last two decades.
Gauff is one win away from becoming the youngest WTA Finals champion since Maria Sharapova‘s 2004 title run.
She has also became the youngest player to make the championship match since Caroline Wozniacki in 2010, and the youngest to beat a No. 1 ranked star since Sharapova defeated Lindsay Davenport in 2004.
The American will face Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen for the title on Saturday, November 9.
Zheng advanced to the final after beating Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova 6-3, 7-5 in their last-four clash.
Not only is the WTA Finals title on the line, but a record amount of prize money too.
Saturday’s winner will take home a massive $4,805,000 – the largest prize money cheque in the history of women’s professional tennis.
By making the final after going 2-1 in round-robin play, both Gauff and Zheng have already each earned $2,305,000 in prize money, according to the WTA Finals official website.
The winner will also take home an additional $2.5m, bringing the champion’s total take to $4.8m.
It will no doubt be a tight match between Gauff, who is ranked No. 3 in the world, and Zheng, who sits seventh in the rankings.
The pair have only faced each other once before, on clay at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia earlier this year.
Gauff won that match 7-6, 6-1, and believes that she can come out on top in Riyadh if she plays confident tennis.
“Zheng is playing great tennis too, but I just need to play confidently, that will help me win,” she said after her semifinal win against Sabalenka.
“I’m not nervous. Being here is a reward for the season I’ve had.”
