Zheng Qinwen turned the primary Chinese language participant to win Olympic tennis singles gold when she defeated Croatia’s Donna Vekic on Saturday, hailing her victory as a “proud” second for herself and her nation. The 21-year-old got here by means of 6-2, 6-3, successful solely China’s second ever tennis gold after Li Ting and Solar Tiantian’s girls’s doubles triumph at Athens in 2004. Zheng’s victory got here on the identical Courtroom Philippe Chatrier at Roland Garros the place in 2011 celebrated compatriot Li Na turned China’s first Grand Slam champion in a landmark second for the game.
“Nothing can describe my emotion, each spherical was tremendous tough and I did all the pieces I may to get a medal for my nation,” mentioned Zheng, who has improved on the Olympic report of Li, whose greatest efficiency was a fourth place in Beijing in 2008.
“I really feel my nation can be happy with me, I am happy with myself. My household are at dwelling, I am positive they’re screaming on the TV.
“I simply struggle each match. I’ve a particular power enjoying for my nation. I by no means surrender.”
World quantity seven and Australian Open runner-up Zheng took benefit of settling right into a groove quicker than her opponent and broke for a 2-0 lead.
Vekic and Zheng went head-to-head with some brutal hitting however the Chinese language star’s 12 winners to the Croat’s three proved essential and her accuracy shone once more with a set-clinching break within the eighth recreation.
Zheng had saved a match level in her gruelling third-round win over Emma Navarro after which ended four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek’s 25-match successful run at Roland Garros to achieve the gold medal match.
Match-hardened by these exams, Zheng held to like within the opening recreation of the second and broke once more for a 2-0 lead because the errors piled up for 28-year-old Vekic.
Nonetheless, the Croat, who knocked out world quantity two Coco Gauff within the third spherical, and saved a match level in her quarter-final win over Marta Kostyuk, hit again along with her first service break of the competition.
Zheng thwarted any trace of a revival by changing a fourth break level for a 5-3 lead earlier than sealing victory within the subsequent recreation.
“I am dissatisfied,” mentioned Vekic. “However as soon as all the pieces settles I can be happy with myself.”
Swiatek claimed the bronze medal on Friday by seeing off Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.
Djokovic reward
It was a rollercoaster event for Zheng, who wanted back-to-back three-hour matches to defeat Navarro after which former world primary Angelique Kerber.
In each matches she needed to claw again deficits whereas towards Navarro she even discovered her fame below assault when the American described her as “cut-throat” with “no respect”.
Nonetheless, her run to the ultimate created one fan within the form of Novak Djokovic.
“She’s a terrific particular person. I actually like her loads,” mentioned the Serbian star on the eve of the gold medal match.
“(Attending to the ultimate) is a large deal for China, for her, but additionally for our sport. China is such an enormous nation, an enormous market, and so they’ve been ready for an enormous champion and an enormous title since Li Na.”
Australia’s Matthew Ebden and John Friends received the boys’s doubles gold with an exciting victory over Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram of the USA.
The unseeded pair got here again from a set and break right down to win 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (7/1), 10-8 towards their fourth-seeded opponents.
It was Australia’s second Olympic males’s doubles title after Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde triumphed in Atlanta in 1996.
For Friends, it was a second Video games medal to go together with the bronze he claimed alongside Ashleigh Barty within the blended doubles in Tokyo three years in the past.
(Aside from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is printed from a syndicated feed.)
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