Cori Gauff becomes youngest WTA Finals participant since Maria Sharapova

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Cori Gauff, 18, is the youngest player since Maria Sharapova to qualify for the WTA Finals. In 2004, a 17-year-old Sharapova won her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, and also reached the WTA Finals at the end of the year.

This year, 18-year-old Gauff made her first Grand Slam final at the French Open, and now she is set debut at the prestigious season-ending tournament.

Coco Gauff is the youngest player to make the WTA Finals since Maria Sharapova in 2004.

— José Morgado (@josemorgado) October 19, 2022

At this week's WTA 1000 event in Guadalajara, Gauff officially sealed her spot at the WTA Finals, which will be taking place from October 31 through November 07 in Fort Worth, Texas.

Also, Gauff will be competing in the doubles event at the WTA Finals with fellow American Jessica Pegula. "I think my year, it started off rocky. But I think for the most part, definitely, probably the best year of my career so far.

And if you told myself in January that I would be in the race and had all these accomplishments, I probably would have not believed you. But as my dad would say, it's not about how you start. It's how you finish," Gauff told TENNIS magazine.

𝒯𝑒𝑒𝓃 𝒬𝓊𝑒𝑒𝓃 of the WTA Finals 👑 @CocoGauff pic.twitter.com/leWVXUUA2M — TENNIS (@Tennis) October 20, 2022

Gauff on also qualifying for the doubles event with Pegula

"Qualifying for doubles, I knew with the year Jess (Pegula) and I had, that would be kind of set in stone," Gauff added.

Gauff and Pegula have played in four finals this year, and have won three titles. Unfortunately for Gauff and Pegula, the French Open was their lone final which they didn't win this year. "It’s a huge honour. When we did well earlier this year we were also doing well in singles.

But we were like ‘we want to make year-end Finals for doubles and singles as well.' So I think for us to be able to play doubles is awesome," Pegula said. Gauff will certainly be aiming to win both the singles and doubles events at the WTA Finals.