Coco Gauff is on her way to the championship match of the WTA Finals.

The world No. 3 used her speed and defense to beat No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 7-6(4), 6-3, in the semi-finals on Friday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Gauff, who reached the semifinals the previous two years, will face No. 7 Qinwen Zheng, who defeated Barbora Krejcikova 6-3, 7-5. Gauff is 20, Zheng 22.

The winner will take home $2.5 million, the runner-up $1.27 million.

“I’m happy with the way I played,” Gauff said on Tennis Channel. “I know it’s always going to be a tough match against Aryna, so I just tried to stay in it. She’s number 1 in the world for a reason and I’m just happy with how I played today.”

Gauff improved to 5-4 against Sabalenka, ending a two-match losing streak that included the Wuhan semifinals and the Australian Open semifinals. Sabalenka, who won the Australian Open and US Open titles, ends the year at No. 1.

Gauff took the first set on her fourth set point after Sabalenka served for it. Sabalenka served at 4-6 in the breaker and fired a forehand wide to give Gauff the set.

The American then broke early in the second set for a 2-1 lead and then set up a double-break for 4-1. Sabalenka earned a break back for 2-4.

But Gauff responded by breaking love at 5-2 and then serving for the match. She was broken and Sabalenka served at 3-5.

Gauff won the match when Sabalenka drilled a backhand into the net on match point.

“A break from tennis means nothing,” Gauff said. “People think about it too much, so I just had to win a match to stay in the set. And yes, I was lucky that I broke in that match.

Gauff caused some controversy among fans when she lost to Krejcikova in her final group match after beating world No. 2 Iga Swiatek and compatriot Jessica Pegula.

The loss eliminated Swiatek and some fans felt Gauff lost on purpose.

“Coco did it on purpose. Her joy at the end of the match… she’s so pathetic,” one fan tweeted.

“Coco Gauff is going to lose so she doesn’t have to deal with Iga again. What a loser,” one fan wrote on X.

For now, Gauff is in the final and can win the second biggest title of her career after conquering the US Open in 2023.

“(Zheng) is playing great tennis,” Gauff said. “Playing confident tennis will help me and give me the best chance to win.

“To be honest, I’m not really nervous. I always look at the end of the year as a plus, and even now that I’m here, I look at it as a reward for the season I’ve had.”