Gauff becomes first American to reach Rome final since 2016
The last time Coco Gauff met Zheng Qinwen, the two players battled for more than 3 hours in the final of the 2024 WTA Finalist Riyadh presented by PIF -- in a match eventually won by Gauff in a final-set tiebreak after being a break down in the final set.
On Thursday at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, they met again -- and once more, they toiled in a marathon won by Gauff in a final-set tiebreak after being a break down in the final set. No. 4 seed Gauff outlasted No. 8 seed Zheng 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-6(4) to reach her first career final in Rome, becoming the first American in nine years to get the to final in the Eternal City in the process. The match was not only the longest of Gauff's career, but also on the Hologic WTA Tour this year.
Rome: Draws | Scores | Order of play
She will face home favorite, top-ranked Italian Jasmine Paolini, in the final in an effort to become the first U.S. player to win the singles title at the WTA 1000 event since Serena Williams beat Madison Keys in that all-American championship match.
"I was just trying to go for every point," Gauff said afterwards. "I knew before it was going to be a physical match. Last time we played was over three hours.
"Overall I'm just happy. Wasn't my best level at all, to be honest. Just happy to get through it and through to another final."
Gauff had previously been 0-2 in the semifinals in Rome, having never won a set in those matches. And she was nearly handed more Italian heartbreak from a set ahead this time around, as Zheng was two points from becoming the first Chinese woman since Li Na in 2012 to play for the trophy after she turned around an absorbing final set that lasted more than 80 minutes on its own -- from being a break down twice.
But after winning three games in a row from 3-2 behind, Zheng dropped serve from 30-15 ahead, and neither woman lost a point on serve to set the stage for a winner-take-all first-to-seven tiebreak. Zheng was the first to capture a mini-break and led 2-0, but the Olympic champion's accuracy faded as the clock struck past midnight -- and Gauff's resiliency shone through. The American eventually won seven of nine points from there to put herself through to her second consecutive WTA 1000 clay-court final this spring.
Resiliency was a theme for both players in the match, as they both racked up more unforced errors than winners, and combined to face 44 break points. But when all was said and done, it was Gauff who recorded her 17th career main-draw win in Rome, only at Roland Garros (20) does she have more.
"The whole match for me the court was so slow," Gauff said. "Especially when the ball after like two games, they're so heavy. This was my second night match. My first one was first round. I was playing someone completely different game style. Yeah, it was tough.
"I think we're both struggling trying to hit through each other. I think in Riyadh we had a little bit more winners, aggressiveness. Today we were trying, but the ball wasn't going anywhere."
