Zheng Qinwen emerged victorious over Donna Vekic with a commanding 6-2 6-3 win in the final of the Paris Olympics, clinching the gold medal in tennis. Her historic triumph on Court Philippe Chatrier at Roland Garros marked China’s first Olympic medal in women’s singles and the country’s second gold medal in tennis.
The 21-year-old Zheng has been enjoying a breakout season, making her first Grand Slam singles final at the Australian Open and breaking into the Top 10 of the WTA rankings. In the gold-medal match against Croatia’s Vekic, Zheng took control early on, establishing a 3-0 lead and securing a second break to claim the first set. Despite a brief comeback from Vekic in the second set, Zheng regained her dominance and closed out the match on her first match point.
Zheng’s path to Olympic gold was truly inspiring. After saving a match point against American Emma Navarro in the round of 16, she defeated three-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, she overcame the reigning Roland Garros champion, Iga Swiatek, securing her first victory over the Pole in their seven encounters.
As a result, Donna Vekic took home the silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, while Iga Swiatek claimed the bronze. Following her loss to Zheng in the semifinals, Swiatek went on to win the bronze-medal match against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova of Slovakia.
