PARIS — Iga Swiatek should wait 4 extra years for her subsequent probability at an Olympic gold medal after the Polish most sensible seed was once stunned through China’s Zheng Qinwen within the semifinals at Roland Garros on Thursday, her first loss there since 2021.
Swiatek, the overpowering favourite for gold after a 3rd successive French Open name this 12 months showed her because the Queen of Clay, was once outplayed 6-2, 7-5 on Courtroom Philippe Chatrier in the newest stunner within the ladies’s singles bracket within the 2024 Video games.
In snapping Swiatek’s 25-match successful streak at Roland Garros, Australian Open runner-up Zheng become the primary Chinese language participant to achieve the singles ultimate at an Olympic event. The rustic’s earlier absolute best singles consequence on the Olympics was once Li Na completing fourth on the 2008 Beijing Video games.
Zheng, who didn’t even need to convey her A-game in opposition to a badly off-key Swiatek, will face both Slovakia’s Anna Karolina Schmiedlova or Croatia’s Donna Vekic for the gold medal. Swiatek could have a tournament for a bronze medal.
“I am so glad that I may just make historical past for Chinese language tennis as a result of I at all times sought after to be one of the crucial athletes who can get a medal for China, for our nation,” 21-year-old Zheng mentioned.
“Presently I am one in every of them, however I do know the combat isn’t over it is not the top.”
With many huge names lacking from the Olympic singles and with most sensible seeds having already fallen, Swiatek had seemed odds on so as to add the Olympic gold to her 5 Grand Slam titles.
She held a 6-0 occupation file in opposition to Zheng, however the 23-year-old Swiatek picked the worst conceivable time to provide one in every of her worst presentations of the season, spraying 36 unforced mistakes.
Swiatek was once in tears all through a TV interview afterwards.
“I simply had a hollow in my backhand. It occurs hardly ever as a result of it’s normally my maximum cast strike,” she instructed Eurosport Poland.
Swiatek seemed uncomfortable within the sizzling and humid prerequisites, suffering to seek out her vary with photographs frequently lacking the strains through meters as the primary set slid away.
After a rest room spoil to re-set she gave the impression to have regained keep watch over in the second one set as she went 4-0 forward.
Nevertheless it proved a false daybreak because the mistakes returned and Zheng took complete benefit to claw her long ago.
Swiatek dropped serve at 5-5 and Zheng then stored cool as she served for victory — banging a primary serve directly to the road on tournament level that her opponent idea had landed out.
A handy guide a rough take a look at from the umpire showed Swiatek’s destiny.
–Reuters, Particular to Box Stage Media
