Zheng Qinwen Advances to Olympic Gold Medal Match in Paris 2024 with Victory Over Iga Swiatek
Zheng Qinwen defeated world No. 1 Iga Swiatek 6-2, 7-5 to earn a position in the Gold Medal Match at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.
It was the most momentous victory of her career. The world’s top seed, who will face off for the bronze medal on Friday, was defeated for the first time by the No. 6 seed.
On the court, Zheng remarked, “I felt like I had more patience than her in this match and I waited for my chances.” “Compared to her, I made fewer errors. Iga is a player who can win games, even if she loses the opening set, and she has proven that in many previous matches, particularly those against me.”
After trailing 0–4 in the second set, the No. 6 seed overcame Swiatek, the overwhelming pre-tournament favorite, to win a record 10 games in a row and defeat the top seed, who will now play for the bronze medal on Friday, in one hour and 51 minutes on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
“Everyone knows how I want to get this medal for my country,” Zheng remarked. You cannot comprehend the amount of pressure I was under or the sacrifices I had to make on the court, especially after playing for eight hours straight over the course of three days and defeating the world’s best player in the process. I have been yearning for the 2024 Olympic Games since 2022. Though it’s astonishing, beating the best players has always been my goal, so it makes my trip much more significant. That’s what I hope my tennis can demonstrate. Iga deserves my congratulations for her incredible match and bravery in defense of her nation.”
Swiss player Agnesek, who became a four-time champion at Roland Garros less than two months ago, was coming off the most difficult test of her Olympic career when she dropped her opening set of the week to American opponent Danielle Collins. Despite the fact that Zheng had to resign from the competition, there seemed to be no love lost between the players. The overwhelming favorite to win the gold medal was noticeably nervous going into Thursday’s match and finished with an astounding 36 unintentional blunders.
Zheng had taken three sets despite losing to Swiatek 0–6 in their head-to-head match. She had also defended her title in Palermo prior to the Games and was having an exciting week on the tennis court, winning three straight sets against Emma Navarro, ranked No. 11, and former No. 1 Angelique Kerber, who was competing in her final tournament of her career. Reaching the semifinals in her debut Olympic Games, she gave herself every chance to depart Paris with a medal.
The twenty-one-year-old, who started 2024 with a breakthrough run to the Australian Open final, got off to a fast start against Swiatek. He broke Swiatek three times in the first set to take the lead. But after taking a trip to the restroom, Swiatek took charge in the second set and won all four games.
“Being always concentrated is necessary when playing Iga, so I became more aggressive when I was down 0-4. I felt like I was waiting too much in the second set. Naturally, it’s a good idea to have patience, but when dealing with Iga, you also need to exercise aggression.”
Zheng valiantly fought back, regaining both breaks and even the match at four games apiece after securing two break points during a long eighth round.
Swiatek, who was frustrated, ended the run against her and took advantage of a net cord winner to bring herself one game away from needing a decider. Zheng recovered from a 15–30 deficit two points after the break to put Swiatek under more pressure. Zheng took the Pole by storm on the backhand side and converted her own 15–40 lead to qualify for the Gold Medal Match.
After a valiant final effort by Swiatek, who earned a break point to force a tiebreaker, Zheng saved the match with a combination of a powerful serve and a smart drop shot. After one final strong serve, Swiatek missed a backhand and brought up match point, causing him to collapse with joy. Zheng finished the match with a perfect 17 wins to just 13 unforced mistakes.
“How am I doing, if you ask me? I’m not sure! I simply played every point with the knowledge that I would battle for the third set even if I lost the second. I believe that this mindset allowed me to fight for every point and wait for my opportunity.”
The winner of the second semifinal between Donna Vekic and Anna Karolina Schmiedlova will stand between Zheng and Olympic gold.
