Gauff improved to 5-4 against Sabalenka and ended a two-match losing streak including the Wuhan semifinals and the Australian Open semifinals. Sabalenka, who won the Australian Open and U.S. Open titles, ends the year at No. 1.

On Saturday, the 20-year-old survived a three-hour thriller in the Riyadh final and edged out Zheng Qinwen 3-6 6-4 7-6 (2). A couple of times during the match, the American had her back turned against the wall but managed to come back and ultimately win.

The 20-year-old American superstar entered the WTA Finals as the World No. 3. She defeated the top two players, one-seed Aryna Sabalenka and two-seed Iga Swiatek, before eventually knocking off Qinwen Zheng, in the finals to win the WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.