Paris 2024 Olympics: Zheng Qinwen opens new chapter in stellar career with first tennis singles gold for PR China
The way Zheng Qinwen was playing, it was easy to forget that she's a 21-year-old Olympic debutant.
But the tennis player from the People’s Republic of China took control of the women’s singles gold medal match with such maturity and composure, winning 6-2, 6-3 against Donna Vekic of Croatia in a dominant display.
The Chinese crowd were delighted: this is the one they really wanted to win at Paris 2024, the all-important medal for one of their rising stars and potentially the new global face of Chinese sport.
It is just the latest high in the greatest year of Zheng’s career so far.
Zheng Qinwen enjoying a golden 2024
Zheng began the calendar year by reaching her maiden Grand Slam final, only falling to defeat at the hands of number two seed Aryna Sabalenka.
That Australian Open run saw Zheng reach a career high world number seven in the women’s singles rankings, but she was not done there. Seven months on, she is an Olympic champion.
Zheng’s gold medal is the reflection of a hard-fought route to the final through bruising and battling performances. She proved to be the final opponent in the career of Olympic silver medallist Angelique Kerber, overcoming the German in a three-set thriller that included two tiebreaks.
In the semi-final, Zheng came up against the Queen of Clay in Poland’s Iga Swiatek, the favourite going into Paris 2024.
But even she was no match for the Chinese superstar, falling in straight sets and devastated as she had to settle for bronze.
Zheng’s flawless afternoon at Stade Roland-Garros
It had been a stunning run to the gold-medal match, so when she came up against Wimbledon semi-finalist Vekic, Zheng was full of confidence, evident as she raced to an early 3-0 lead in the opening set.
It was as if she was playing in front of a home crowd in her native Shiyan, but the Court Philippe-Chatrier at Stade Roland-Garros was adorned in Chinese flags at all four corners. Zheng was in control of her own destiny, excelling on her serve and making countless returns that seemed impossible.
Zheng rose to the occasion, going from strength to strength with each break point and thriving at Roland-Garros. As she drove a forehand winner down the line to seize gold, Zheng collapsed to the clay to the roar of the Chinese fans.
Whether it was unthinkable or not, she had just written history for China, winning the nation’s first ever gold medal in Olympic tennis singles.
What lies in store for Zheng, Olympic champion? Her Chinese fans believe she will be the next prodigy of their sporting prowess, their first tennis superstar. Everyone around her believes in her talent, no one more than the 21-year-old herself.
Women’s tennis is more competitive than ever, and now that Zheng has proven that she can compete with the big guns, who is to say that she cannot build on gold in Paris and rise even further? After all, this is Zheng Qinwen we are talking about.