Zheng Qinwen achieves two stunning feats at Olympics as she ends huge Iga Swiatek streaks
Zheng Qinwen stunned world No 1 Iga Swiatek in straight sets at the 2024 Paris Olympics to earn the biggest win of her career and progress to the gold medal match.
The world No 7 downed Swiatek 6-2, 7-5 in the semi-finals of the Olympics on Court Philippe-Chatrier to end Swiatek’s lengthy winning streaks on clay and at Stade Roland Garros.
The Chinese star dominated Swiatek in the opening set before making an impressive fightback from a 0-4 deficit in the second set to see off the five-time Grand Slam champion. Zheng broke the 23-year-old Pole’s serve on six occasions.
Zheng has become the first Chinese player to reach a singles final at the Olympics, while she is also the first player from her nation to defeat a women’s world No 1 since the WTA Rankings were introduced in 1975.
The 21-year-old’s triumph ended Swiatek’s 23-match winning streak on clay stretching back to March and also snapped the Pole’s unbeaten run at Roland Garros.
Swiatek had won 25 straight matches and 47 of 51 completed sets at the French Open venue since her defeat to Maria Sakkari in the 2021 Roland Garros quarter-finals.
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Zheng will face either Anna Karolina Schmiedlova or Donna Vekic in the women’s singles gold medal match on Saturday.
In an interview with Eurosport, Zheng said: “I feel more than just happy, happy is not enough to describe my emotions right now.
“I always have a lot of expectation in Olympic Games, but I know it’s hard to get here because every match I’ve been through a lot of pressure.
“I really wanted to get a medal for my country and now I’m there and I just gave amazing match to the crowd. To beat Iga on this stage is absolutely not easy.
“It’s important tournament for me and her, was unbelievable because I have a lot of great tennis today and I’m really patient in the game.”
On her patient tactics, Zheng continued: “Well I had a lot of matches against Iga, I’m always the one who miss more than her and I’m always the one to have more winners than her, but I always lose the match.
“So today, I just got to be more patient than Iga. If she want to get that match, she has to make winners all the time. It’s on clay, it’s not easy, will be different if it’s on hard court.
“Yes, that’s my gameplan, try to play consistency and change a lot of variation. When I can, I step inside. Don’t be so rash because Iga, she’s absolutely outstanding on clay court, she’s such a great player to play on clay. Four Grand Slam titles [at the] French Open is not easy.”
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