Gauff becomes a teacher after completing a final of rebellion and faith against Zheng

The 20-year-old American is vindicated after starring in that fairy tale that everyone wants and fears: shining before her time, before understanding herself, before building her mentality and her tennis. In a spectacular closing of the course, champion in Beijing a few weeks ago, she rises on her own ashes and on Zheng’s morale to be a teacher of teachers.

With nine titles on her record, she establishes herself as the queen of the hard court, as she has not lost any final on this surface. Titles since Linz, in 2019; Parma, in 2021, and with a 2023 hatching with Auckland, Washington, Cincinnati and the US Open; and in 2024: Auckland, WTA 1,000 in Beijing and this crown won by tennis, commitment and head. On the other side, sadness remained, hope vanished in some points, in some errors, in that less confidence that sometimes decides what a racket does not decide.

Zheng was on his way to completing a magical year: finalist in the Australian Open, titles in Tokyo and Palermo and, of course, Olympic gold in Paris 2024. He won on the purple Riyadh court in a spectacular 56 minutes of the first set, handcuffing the powerful tennis of the American. But the young woman stirred.

Angry with every mistake, she began to give away her best moments when the scoreboard seemed to show her the way to the locker room. With 6-3 and 3-1 against, reaction. Point to point. Right cross to right cross. Serve after serve. Until she pushed and took Zheng out of her comfortable zone, dwarfed after walking around, until she managed to get that break and chain four games to lift the spirits of her followers.

Although Zheng tried to stop the American’s momentum, she could not recover the second break, and the final went to a third set in which the tone was more nerves than successes, the swings on the scoreboard, and, above all, everything, Gauff’s confidence on the edge of the abyss of defeat.

Zheng found morale and energy in the missed opportunity to close the final in the second set. A boost of adrenaline that led her to lead the third chapter 3-1, with another rush from Pere Riba’s pupil, who began playing table tennis in her native country, but who found in Spain the necessary catapult to establish herself among the best.

The title seemed close, as Gauff’s right hand evaporated amid tremors and Zheng consolidated from the bottom. But the American discovered herself as a mental wall from always going against. In the field of doubt, both moved more with direct hits to the center and few risks, but also too many errors, which began to mortify Zheng, who served at 5-3 to take the trophy home and paled before the defense physical, tennis and mental of Gauff.

He has iron tennis and his head begins to accompany him, to believe it, to see that the long shadow of expectations can begin to become luminous. With that light he headed towards the break that gave him 4-5, and to consolidate to take the 5-5, and the faith to enter the tie break with all the fury and rebellion with which he had built the comeback. One point, another, another and another. A deep forehand, a short drop shot, a good serve. And a 6-0 that yes, he caught despite that last electric impulse from Zheng to return his rebellion. But Gauff didn’t let her. Firmer and more confident, she left the ghosts and vertigo of winning aside and closed her mind on the trophy she had behind her; in that aspect in which the American woman (20 years old) has grown in these three hours and four minutes and where the Chinese woman (22 years old) still has room for improvement.

For Riba it was a match of emotions, since we must not forget that he trained Zheng in two stages, the first of them before the tennis player turned 18, and in the middle, when he was thinking about taking a sabbatical, the call She couldn’t let it go: Coco Gauff was a promise and a project, and it helped her convince herself that she could be one of the greats, US Open champion shortly after. Gauff already has the conviction impregnated in her hand, in her head and in her record: teacher of teachers in 2024 with a lesson in pride, commitment and rebellion.