Zheng Qinwen triumphed over Donna Vekic with a decisive 6-2 6-3 victory in the final of the Paris Olympics, securing the gold medal in tennis. With the historic win on Court Philippe Chatrier at Roland Garros, the world No. 7 secured China’s first Olympic medal in women’s singles and the country’s second gold medal in tennis overall.
The 21-year-old Zheng is enjoying a breakout season, reaching her first Grand Slam singles final at the Australian Open and breaking into the Top 10 WTA rankings. In the gold-medal match against Croatia’s Vekic, Zheng dominated from the start, establishing a 3-0 lead and securing a second break to take the first set. Despite allowing Vekic to level from 0-2 to 2-2 in the second set, Zheng regained control and clinched the match on her first match point.
Zheng’s journey to Olympic gold was nothing short of inspiring. After saving a match point against American Emma Navarro in the round of 16, she ended the illustrious career of three-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, she overcame the reigning queen of Roland Garros, Iga Swiatek, finally defeating the Pole for the first time in their seven encounters.
So, Donna Vekic is the 2024 Paris Olympics silver medalist, while Iga Swiatek claimed bronze. After losing the semifinals to Zheng, Swiatek won the bronze-medal match against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova of Slovakia.