Either China or Croatia will win its first singles gold medal in Olympic tennis when Zheng Qinwen faces Donna Vekic in the women’s final at the Paris Games on Saturday.
This will be the biggest title for both players, as neither Zheng nor Vekic has won a Grand Slam trophy.
“I always wanted to be one of the athletes who can get a medal for China, for our country, and right now I’m one of them,” Zheng said after defeating No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland in the semifinals on Thursday. “But I know the fight is not over; it’s not the end.”
That victory ended Swiatek’s 25-match winning streak at Roland Garros, which hosts the annual French Open and is the site of the clay courts used for tennis in these Summer Games. Four of Swiatek’s five major championships were won at the French Open.
Vekic has also defeated past major title winners to secure her medal. She beat 2019 U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu of Canada in the second round and reigning U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff of the United States in the third round.
“It’s been my goal since I started playing tennis. It’s been my biggest goal for this year,” Vekic said about Olympic success after her semifinal win against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova of Slovakia. “And to have a medal — I have truly no words.”
