Tennis on the 2024 Paris Olympics is quickly reaching a conclusion, as the ladies’s singles semifinals at the moment are utterly set. High seed Iga Swiatek of Poland will face the sixth-seeded Qinwen Zheng of China in a single half of the bracket, whereas Croatia’s Donna Vekic will face Anna Karolina Schmiedlová of Slovakia within the different.
Whereas tennis on the Olympics is sort of a single elimination Grand Slam, the 2 losers of the semifinal matchups received’t merely be going residence as in a Slam — they’ll face one another in a bronze medal matchup to attempt to add to their nation’s totals.
Each semifinal matchups are set for Thursday morning on Court docket Philippe-Chatrier at Roland Garros and will probably be out there to view stay streaming on Peacock. The primary matchup, between Swiatek and Zheng, is ready for about 9:20 a.m. ET, whereas the second will probably be within the afternoon, presently set for 3 p.m. ET.
Swiatek is the heavy favourite to win as a clay court docket specialist with a historical past of dominating at Roland Garros, residence of the French Open. She’s received three consecutive titles at Roland Garros and 4 of the final 5. This may be her first gold medal if she will be able to make it previous Zheng after which the winner of Schmiedlová/Vekic. Swiatek did take part within the 2020 Olympics however was eradicated within the second spherical.
She’s coming off a quarterfinal matchup in opposition to Danielle Collins, an American competing in her closing Olympics and closing season general. Collins was coping with an damage and whereas she took the second set, she in the end needed to withdraw whereas down 4-1 within the third set, with Swiatek taking the victory at 6-1, 2-6, 4-1.
Zheng is the sixth seed and is herself coming off a really slim three-set victory over Angelique Kerber of Germany. Zheng in the end received the match, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(6). Kerber, like Collins, won’t be taking part within the subsequent Olympics and is asking it a profession after her elimination. Zheng, 21, will probably be Swiatek’s hardest check of those Olympics, although she has by no means crushed Swiatek in six profession conferences, together with two on clay.
Within the different half of the bracket, Vekic and Schmiedlová are each acquainted names in tennis, although neither obtained a lot consideration for gold medal hypothesis earlier than these Olympics began. Vekic is ranked No. 21 on the earth in singles play, and has no Grand Slam semifinal victories to her identify and only one look — in Wimbledon barely a month in the past. Schmiedlová is ranked No. 67 on the earth and has by no means even appeared in a Grand Slam quarterfinals in singles play. Neither had been anticipated to be right here, however each have appeared wonderful all through this event.
Over time, Schmiedlová and Vekic have solely confronted one another one time beforehand, with Vekic taking a straight-set victory all the best way again in 2018 on onerous courts. Schmiedlová is coming off a straight-sets victory over Barbora Krejcikova, 6-4, 6-2. Vekic was pushed to a 3rd set tiebreak in opposition to Marta Kostyuk, profitable 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(8).
Ladies’s singles semifinals on the 2024 Paris Olympics
No. 1 Iga Swiatek vs. No. 6 Qinwen Zheng (9:20 a.m. ET approx.)
Anna Karolina Schmiedlová vs. No. 13 Donna Vekic (3 p.m. ET approx)
