Xinhua

Qinwen Zheng upsets Iga Swiatek in Paris Olympics semifinals to become first-ever women’s player from China to advance to final

Originally posted on FirstSportz | By Gouri Das | Last updated Aug 1, 2024 10:45 AM ET

Qinwen Zheng reached her first Olympics final with a three-set victory over World No.1 Iga Swiatek in the semifinal on Thursday (August 1). Swiatek, who was eyeing her fourth victory on clay this season, was denied another title when Zheng won the match with a scoreline of 6-2, 7-5.

The match wasn’t what one expected, for Swiatek, who was the favorite, looked helpless in the first set. Only two games she was able to win.

The Pole then made a terrific comeback in the second set and won games on the trot. Zheng, however, did not miss the chance to capitalize on her first-set lead.

She displayed her fighting spirit to force a comeback and soon, after a long seventh game of the second set, she finally equaled the scores 4-4 and did not look back. Swiatek tried everything she could and was not ready to give up, but in the end, the Chinese prevailed over her and became the first player from her country to reach the final of the Olympics.

Before the semifinals, the 21-year-old Chinese played two three-set matches, in the third round and the quarterfinals against Emma Navarro and former World No. 1 Angelique Kerber. Swiatek on the other hand, was given a walkover by Danielle Collins in quarterfinals. It was the only three-set match she played in the Olympics.

Swiatek has won five titles this season, including her fourth French Open. Before lifting her third back-to-back trophy in the French Open, Swiatek won the final of Madrid Open and Italian Open as well.

More to follow…

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: