Qinwen Zheng has achieved a historic milestone for Chinese tennis by winning an Olympic gold medal in the sport. She emerged victorious in the final in Paris, defeating Donna Vekic. This achievement comes 16 years after Li Na’s impressive semifinal run at the Beijing Olympics. Zheng not only reached the Olympic final, but she also went on to secure the gold medal, making her the first Chinese player to do so.
In a remarkable display of skill and determination, Zheng overcame top seed Iga Swiatek in a stunning upset during the tournament. However, her journey to the final was not without challenges. In the quarterfinal match against Angelique Kerber, she had to fight off match points and endure a grueling three-hour battle to keep her hopes alive.
This triumph marks China’s best result in tennis since Li Na’s victory at the Australian Open in 2014. Li Na paved the way for Chinese tennis, and Zheng is now following in her footsteps. Earlier this year, Zheng became the fourth Chinese player ever to reach the semifinals of a Major tournament at the Australian Open, joining the ranks of Zheng Jie, Li Na, and Peng Shuai.
At the same Australian Open event, Zheng achieved yet another milestone by reaching the final, becoming only the second Chinese woman to do so, a decade after Li Na’s accomplishment. In reaching the top ten, she matched the success of her compatriot, solidifying her position as one of China’s top tennis players.
By winning the gold medal at the Summer Olympics, Zheng has surpassed her idol Li Na, who finished fourth when the Games were held in China. This victory not only brings glory to Zheng but also breaks the long-standing drought of success in tennis for China at the Olympic Games.
China has always been a successful nation in the Olympics, but their tennis players had never managed to claim a medal until now. This year, their athletes made history by earning two medals in a tournament filled with astonishing upsets.
In the mixed doubles quarterfinal, Zhizhen Zhang and Xinyu Wang delivered a thrilling performance by defeating the Australian pair of Matthew Ebden and Ellen Perez in a closely contested match. They continued their impressive run by upsetting Wesley Koolhof and Demi Schuur of the Netherlands in the semifinals, securing a spot in the final.
Although they fell short in the deciding match tiebreak, Zhang and Wang’s exceptional performance earned them the silver medal. This achievement marks China’s first-ever tennis medal. Every match played by the pair in the tournament was tightly contested and ultimately decided in a tiebreak.
On the singles side, Qinwen Zheng made history by dominating the last two rounds on her way to securing China’s first-ever tennis gold medal at the Olympics.
Photo by Qinwen Zheng Instagram
