Coco Gauff is guaranteed to have a shot at defending her WTA Finals title after officially sealing a spot in the prestigious season-ending tournament in Riyadh.
On Tuesday, Gauff found herself in big trouble after Belinda Bencic opened a 6-4 4-3 lead and went up by a set and a break. The Swiss also led 3-1 in the second-set tie-break, but the second-seeded American still managed to pull off a major comeback and beat the 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medalist 4-6 7-6 (4) 6-2.
"It was a tough match. I had chances to close out the first set, but overall I'm really happy with how I fought. She was being really aggressive. I just tried my best today," the No. 2 seed said of beating Bencic.
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By beating Bencic, Gauff seals a Riyadh spot and achieves a Maria Sharapova feat
Gauff, who was just 18 when she made her WTA Finals debut in 2022, is the third player to book a spot for this year's Riyadh edition. Previously, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek booked their places for the season-ending tournament.
By earning her fourth consecutive WTA Finals berth by the age of 21, the American is the youngest player since Sharapova to achieve the feat - the Russian tennis icon did it between 2004 and 2007.
And Gauff didn't hide her happiness over making the season-ending tournament once again.
"I'm happy to be back in Riyadh. I'm glad I was able to do it here," the top-ranked American female tennis player said.
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Gauff didn't make it past the group stage in herdebut in the season-ending tournament in 2022, while she was a semifinalist in 2023. Last year, the American became a WTA Finals champion after edging out Zheng Qinwen in a thriller three-set final.
This year's Riyadh edition takes place between November 01-08.
