Swiatek will not be Olympic champion!
An earthquake struck the clay courts of Roland-Garros, where Iga Swiatek was defeated in the semi-finals of the Olympic tournament by China's Zheng Qinwen in just under two hours and two sets (6-2, 7-5). Nothing is ever written in advance, in tennis as elsewhere, and there are no exceptions to the rule for the Pole, even on her impregnable Parisian clay.
The gold medal seemed a foregone conclusion for the world No.1. Winner of the last two editions of Roland Garros, she looked impossible to beat in the French capital, especially as the players still in the running were not among her most formidable opponents.
But Zheng decided otherwise on Thursday. The Chinese player played her best tennis and delivered a match worthy of the occasion. In particular, she was very solid from the baseline.
On the other side of the net, Swiatek was very nervous throughout the match.
Probably sensing very early on that she wasn't feeling her best today, she showed a rather unusual irritation. Above all, she was far too imprecise to hope for better, committing 36 unforced errors for just 13 winners.
In the final, Zheng will meet the winner of the second half, which will pit Donna Vekic against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova on Court Philippe Chatrier later this evening. As for Swiatek, she'll try to console herself by winning the bronze medal. The Olympic Games are a competition like no other!
