Coco Gauff v Zheng Qinwen: WTA finals title decider – live | WTA Finals

First set: Zheng 2-1 Gauff *(*denotes next server) Zheng hits a backhand into the net to make it 15-all, and Gauff battles back in a succession of power-hitting rallies, though ultimately nothing bears fruit. Pere Riba, Zheng’s coach, sits watching with folded arms.

First set: Zheng* 1-1 Gauff (*denotes next server) Wham-bam – Gauff wins the game in about 60 seconds with a steaming hold.

First set: Zheng 1-0 Gauff * (*denotes next server) Here we go – Zheng, in purple pleated gym skirt and vest top to serve. The umpires quietens the crowd down. Gauff can’t do anything with first two serves, but pulls back when Zheng hits long in two rallies – and again to bring things to deuce after a 17-hit rally. Gauff gets a precious break point, but Zheng saves the set with a drilled forehand and then a monster serve.

Gauff is the youngest WTA Finals finalist since Caroline Wozniacki in 2010. Qinwen wins the toss and elects to serve. A huge crowd fill the arena and watches them warmup.

Who is going to win? The TV experts are split 1-1.

First Zheng Qinwen, then Coco Gauff, both hand in hand with a mascot. Gauff wearing headphones, Qinwen not. Both are in purple – unless that’s the lights

Lots of chat about Gauff’s forehand. She changed her team, splitting with Brad Gilbert after the US Open, and joining forces with Matt Daly. Since then, she’s been storming up the rankings – and the forehand has been one of the main talking points.

“I don’t want to give too much of what’s going on, but there are changes happening,” Gauff said. “I’ve been playing with them since Beijing.”

Lots of flashing purple lights and heady drums in Riyadh, but Tim Henman is still in a smart jacket so no need to panic. I imagine the players will be out soon.

This was Tumaini Carayol’s take on the finals mid-week.

Good afternoon! Welcome to the WTA final from Riyadh – a battle of the bright young things, between the USA’s Coco Gauff (20), who is finishing the season with a bang, and the charismatic Olympic gold medallist Zheng Qinwen (22) – whose record since an early defeat at Wimbledon has been astonishing, winning 31 of 36 matches, and picking up two titles plus that Paris triumph. She is playing in her first WTA final, the second Chinese player after Li Na.

The WTA finals are the biggest tournament outside the slams, with mega bucks -12 million dollars – available courtesy of the Saudis and their attempts to buy up tennis alongside much of the rest of sport. This is the first time a women’s tournament has been held in the Kingdom and it has gone ahead despite disquiet – with promises from both the WTA and Saudi Arabia that it will be a force for good. At the moment, the players are going along with it and happy with how things have gone – but Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova have called “a step backwards” for the game.

Play starts at 4pm approx GMT.