Zheng Qinwen will become the first Chinese tennis player to win an Olympic medal in singles as she produced the biggest shock of the tournament, toppling Iga Swiatek, the world No 1, 6-2, 7-5 on Thursday to reach the women’s gold medal match.
It was a monumental victory for Zheng against an opponent who was heavily favoured to win her first Olympic gold medal after dominating at Roland Garros in recent years. Swiatek entered Court Philippe-Chatrier on Thursdayon a 25-match winning streak at Roland Garros, having won three consecutive French Open titles and four in total.
“This means everything to me because finally I broke the stage I always have in my head, I finally showed I could beat the world No 1 on her best surface, at Roland Garros,” Zheng said. “It really does mean everything. I always knew I could do it but there’s a difference between knowing you can and showing it.”
Zheng, the sixth seed and a finalist at the Australian Open this year, is a tremendous talent with a sense for the big stage. While the 21-year-old had not produced her best tennis earlier in the week, she dragged herself to this semi-final through her willpower and mental strength, winning consecutive three-hour, three-set matches against Emma Navarro of the US and Germany’s Angelique Kerber to end the former No 1’s career.
A day later, Zheng stepped on to Court Philippe-Chatrier fully aware that the pressure was on Swiatek and she played with total freedom from the beginning. As Zheng commanded the baseline, suffocating her opponent with a heavy forehand and mixing up loopy balls with drop shots, the Polish player struggled badly to find her range.
Swiatek struggled to find any rhythm, errors flowing from her racket, and even after establishing a 4-0 lead in the second set the 23-year-old failed to shake off her nerves. The Pole was gradually pulled back in by Zheng, who found big serves when most needed and held her nerve at the end to win seven of the final eight games.
Although Zheng entered the match with an 0-6 record against Swiatek, she has shown glimpses of her potential against the No 1 over the years, most notably when she pushed Swiatek to three sets on the same court in the fourth round of the 2022 French Open. It felt like only a matter of time until Zheng achieved such a significant win on a big stage.
“I know the fight is not over,” Zheng said. “It’s not the end. The tennis tournament is very long. I’m really happy but at the same time I’m waiting for more. I’ve made history already but I don’t want to stop here.”
For Swiatek, the pressure of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to win the Olympic gold on her favourite court was just too much in the end. After the match she was in tears as she could not hold back her disappointment and she was forced to pause an interview so she could regain her composure. She will still have a chance to leave Paris with a medal in the match for bronze.
Meanwhile, Katie Boulter and Heather Watson’s solid run in the women’s doubles came to an end in the quarter-finals as they fell 6-3, 6-1 to the formidable Italian pairing of Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini, the third seeds and finalists at the French Open this year. Carlos Alcaraz, the Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion, moved within touching distance of a medal himself by defeating Tommy Paul of the US 6-3, 7-6 (7) in a high quality quarter-final.
