After an enormous upset within the semifinals, the tip of the Olympic tennis girls’s singles bracket is in sight. The gold medal will come down to 2 gamers few predicted could be on this place: sixth-seeded Zheng Qinwen of China and Donna Vekic of Croatia.
This additionally means the bronze medal matchup, at present scheduled for Friday, will function high seed Iga Swiatek of Poland and Anna Karolina Schmiedlova of Slovakia.
Zheng, 21, was thought of a authentic menace to Swiatek, however few noticed her straight units victory over the clay courtroom specialist coming. Swiatek had been dominant on the clay of Roland Garros, having gained three consecutive titles at Roland Garros, residence of the French Open. She was thought of the favourite to take residence her first gold medal, after a middling efficiency within the 2020 Olympics, earlier than she actually broke out.
However Zheng had different concepts, dropping Swiatek in straight units, 6-2, 7-5. Zheng was pushed to a few units within the earlier spherical towards Angelique Kerber of Germany, and hadn’t overwhelmed Swiatek in six earlier profession conferences, together with two on clay. Zheng’s efficiency within the Olympics hasn’t come fully out of nowhere although, as she made it to the ultimate of the Australian Open earlier this 12 months, her greatest exhibiting in a Grand Slam to this point.
Vekic, 28, entered the Olympics with a singles rating of 21 on the planet. She’s not thought of a clay courtroom specialist, and has solely made it so far as the fourth spherical of the French Open, again in 2019. Her greatest efficiency got here this 12 months and simply earlier than the Olympics, when she made it to the semifinals on the grass courts of Wimbledon.
She wasted no time in downing Schmiedlova on Thursday, taking her out in straight units, 6-4, 6-0.
Up to now, Vekic and Zheng have confronted one another simply two occasions, splitting the conferences. They’ve solely ever confronted one another on onerous courts, as properly, whereas the clay of Roland Garros is untested of their head-to-head historical past.
For the bronze medal matchup, Swiatek will try to make up for what might be universally thought of a missed alternative. She faces Schmiedlova, a lady with extra expertise however far much less success on the highest stage than her. Whereas Swiatek has gained the French Open 4 occasions (on these very courts) and the US Open as soon as, Schmiedlova has no main titles to her title.
Schmiedlova’s greatest efficiency in a Grand Slam was a fourth-round look on the French Open in 2023. She has by no means confronted Swiatek in singles competitors. Their bronze medal matchup is about for Friday, Aug. 2, whereas Zheng and Vekic will meet within the gold medal match on Saturday, Aug. 3.
Ladies’s Olympic tennis medal matchups
Bronze medal match: No. 1 Iga Swiatek vs. Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (Friday)
Gold medal match: No. 6 Zheng Qinwen vs. Donna Vekic (Saturday)
