Iga Swiatek beats Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in straight sets to become first Polish tennis player to win an Olympic medal

Iga Swiatek won the bronze medal for Poland after she beat Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in straight sets on Friday (August 2). The contest saw both the losing semifinalists face each other for the final spot on the podium.

While Schmiedlova lost to Donna Vekic in straight sets in the previous round, Swiatek lost to Qinwen Zheng. The WTA No.1 was the favorite of the tournament but couldn’t get past the Chinese player. She made too many mistakes and was the second-best player in the semifinals.

Despite that defeat, Swiatek had another shot to win a medal for her country when she took on Schmiedlova in the bronze medal match. The Slovakian was unable to put pressure on Swiatek, which allowed her to dominate the contest and win Poland its first Olympic medal in tennis.

That said, Swiatek was not at her fluent best, registering 16 unforced errors in 15 games. While Schmiedlova had fewer unforced errors, she did not make many winners, which helped Swiatek win 6-2, 6-1.

Iga Swiatek secures bronze medal at the Paris Olympics

WTA No.1 Iga Swiatek won her first Olympic medal with a win over Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in straight sets. While she failed to make it to the final, she made amends by securing the bronze medal for her country.