Iga Swiatek’s 25-match Roland Garros winning streak ended by Zheng Qinwen

Zheng Qinwen made history as the first Chinese tennis player to win an Olympic medal in singles. She caused a major upset by defeating Iga Swiatek, the top-ranked player in the world, with a score of 6-2, 7-5. This victory has secured her spot in the women's gold medal match.

Zheng achieved a huge win over Swiatek, who was expected to win her first Olympic gold medal. Swiatek had been very successful at Roland Garros, winning three French Open titles in a row and four in total.

"This is a huge accomplishment for me because I was able to overcome the mental barriers I had, and I was able to defeat the top-ranked player on her best surface, at Roland Garros," Zheng expressed. "This victory holds tremendous significance for me. I always had the belief that I could achieve this, but there is a distinct difference between believing in oneself and actually proving it."

Zheng, who is seeded sixth and reached the finals at the Australian Open, is a highly skilled player who performs well in important matches. Despite not playing her best tennis earlier in the week, the 21-year-old showed great determination and mental toughness to make it to the semi-finals. She won two grueling matches, each lasting three hours and three sets, against Emma Navarro from the United States and Germany's Angelique Kerber, ultimately ending the former world No 1's career.

The next day, Zheng confidently entered Court Philippe-Chatrier knowing that Swiatek was feeling the pressure. Zheng played without any constraints right from the start. She controlled the area near the baseline, overwhelming her opponent with strong forehand shots and a variety of shots, including looped balls and drop shots. Swiatek had a hard time finding her rhythm as Zheng dominated the match.

Swiatek was not able to play freely as she wanted. Mistakes kept coming from her racket. Even though she started strong with a 4-0 lead in the second set, the 23-year-old couldn't calm her nerves. Zheng slowly made a comeback in the second set, serving well when it mattered most and staying composed to win seven out of the final eight games.

Even though Zheng had never beaten Swiatek in their previous six matches, she has displayed moments of her skill when facing the No 1 player in the past. One memorable instance was when she took Swiatek to three sets during the 2022 French Open. It seemed inevitable that Zheng would eventually secure a major victory on a grand stage.

"I understand that there is still a lot of competition ahead," she noted. "This is just the beginning of the tennis tournament, and I am thrilled with my progress so far. Despite the milestones I have achieved, I am determined to keep pushing forward and reaching for even greater accomplishments."

Swiatek felt overwhelmed by the immense pressure of the unique chance to win the Olympic gold on her beloved court. She was visibly upset after the match, shedding tears of disappointment. She had to pause an interview to collect herself. Despite this setback, she still has the opportunity to win a bronze medal in her next match in Paris.

At the same time, Katie Boulter and Heather Watson's impressive performance in the women's doubles came to a stop in the quarter-finals. They lost 6-3, 6-1 to the strong Italian team of Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini, who are the third seeds and were finalists at the French Open. Carlos Alcaraz, who won both the Roland Garros and Wimbledon tournaments, also advanced towards a medal by beating Tommy Paul of the US 6-3, 7-6 (7) in a competitive quarter-final match.