Six years ago, Zheng Qinwen and Coco Gauff squared off in the final of the Orange Bowl U18 tournament, which is arguably the most prestigious junior tennis event in the world.
Gauff, who was 14 at the time, defeated a 15-year-old Zheng, to finish her junior career on a high note.
On Saturday in Riyadh, the pair will square off on one of the biggest stages in women’s tennis: the championship match of the WTA Finals. “It's cool to see, like, six years later, here we are,” said Gauff on Friday.
Zheng and Gauff’s shared history extends beyond the court. They’ve both been coached by Spanish former ATP player Pere Riba, who currently works with Zheng but was part of Team Gauff from June to October 2023 – a stretch that included the American’s US Open title run.
This is Riba’s second stint with Zheng, having worked with the Chinese star from 2021 to mid-2023, guiding her from outside the top 100 to inside the top 30 within that span.
They reunited end of last year and have since enjoyed tremendous success together with Zheng reaching a maiden Grand Slam final at the Australian Open, winning Olympic gold in Paris, rising to a career-high No 7 in the world, and now being one victory away from becoming the first Asian player to win the WTA Finals title.
“He always has lot of passion on tennis,” Zheng said of Riba this week. “This is important. He really wants to be a good coach. Not so many coaches on tour have this type of passion.
“Many coaches, they just consider this as a high prize job. But there are a few coaches on tour, they really love the tennis, they want their player to become the best, they want their player to improve every single day. I think he's this type of coach.”
Riba indeed loves tennis and wants nothing but progress for Zheng.
He got to witness his charge shoot to superstardom in China, after she clinched the Olympic gold medal, and together, they achieved great results during the Asian swing last month, where Zheng made the semi-finals in Beijing, the final in Wuhan (her hometown tournament), and won the title in Tokyo – all of which was done amid crazy levels of fandom all around her.
Riba says it didn’t surprise him how well she performed on court while getting so much attention, which normally would translate into pressure.
“The situation for her changed a lot, especially when she got the gold medal. All the atmosphere that she produced when she arrived to China, of course I like so much watching all the people that support and show love to her, is a big thing and nice thing for her. She enjoys it a lot. And when the player is happy, everyone is happy,” Riba told The National on the sidelines of the WTA Finals in Riyadh this week.
After making the Australian Open final in January, Zheng had a brief dip in results as she adjusted to her new status, but Riba believes she quickly learnt how to handle the situation and she has been on a winning spree since mid-July.
After losing in the Wimbledon first round, Zheng has won more matches than any other player on tour, posting a 31-5 win-loss record heading into Saturday evening’s final against Gauff.
Should Zheng defeat Gauff, she would rise to a career-high No 4 in the world and pocket $4,805,000 – the largest payout in history at a WTA Tour event.
From being on the cover of fashion magazines, to collecting record prize pots, it would be easy for Zheng to lose focus, but Riba assures that hasn’t been the case.
“She's doing great, she's practising so hard, until now, I only can say good words,” said the Spaniard.
“But for me, the most important thing is that she continues having the feet on the ground. It's so easy when you are getting these results, that is the best season of her life, winning like, a 250 tournament, a 500, final in a 1000, gold medal, final in a Grand Slam, top 10 … many big results and then it's like outside, it's so easy to listen to really good words, like you are the best, they are comparing you to Li Na, this so good.
“But then I'm saying to her, now is the moment where the most complicated thing that you have to do is keep your feet on the ground and continue doing the things that you are doing. Remember from where you come from, the origin, and keep going. Because it's so easy to forget. But for the moment she understands.”
Zheng has a fiery personality on the court and can often be seen arguing with Riba during practice – something they’ve both spoken about this week in Riyadh.
“She has a great heart. When you know her – because you have to know the people – she's an amazing person, she has a great heart. But of course, when she enters the court, me I have a lot of fights with her on court, because she is really ambitious,” Riba said of the 22-year-old Zheng.
“And me, also I want her to succeed. She is a really good tennis player because she has this character, this is the reason. But sometimes, she has to control the emotions and she still is so young. But no doubt that she's an amazing person.
“And sometimes this behaviour happens with all the players, because all the players want to win. She’s so young, and these small things that maybe the people can see it’s nothing. Because finally the person, the essence is really nice.”
Looking ahead to next season, Riba has every reason to believe Zheng can hit new heights. She is achieving many things that haven’t been achieved by a Chinese woman in tennis since Li Na, but the big one would be lifting a Grand Slam trophy – a feat only Li Na has accomplished for China.
“If she continues improving and given the way she is doing the things, me I'm optimistic, and of course, it's always complicated these goals, but she will arrive with realistic options to win a Grand Slam,” said Riba of Zheng’s prospects next season.
“It can happen or cannot happen, because many players are fighting for the same thing but she will arrive with the tennis and with the fitness and with all the things that she will be capable to do it.”
The fight for the world No 1 ranking has been exclusively taking place between Aryna Sabalenka – who ends this season at the summit – and Iga Swiatek, who has held the top spot for a total of 125 weeks.
Does Riba believe Zheng, or others in the chasing pack, can enter that No 1 conversation?
“Look, I don’t like to talk too much about the other players. But of course, if you analyse, we can see that this year, Aryna and Iga, they are fighting there, it’s like a little bit more up from the other ones,” he said.
“Bu there are three, four, five players that if they are working good, working in the right way, they can enter [the conversation], and they can fight to take the spot.
“Especially because there are young players coming up that are really good. And I have a lot of confidence in Qinwen, because she has the tools, she has the weapons, every month is better.
“I don’t see that she's at the top of her potential. To be honest, I think she is at 60 per cent of what she can be. And this gives me a lot of confidence that she's going to be one day there, I really believe that.”
