PARIS (AP) — Zheng Qwinen claimed China’s first tennis singles gold medal in Olympic history by defeating Donna Vekic of Croatia 6-2, 6-3 in the 2024 Paris Games women’s final Saturday.
The 21-year-old Zheng displayed the same powerful serves and groundstrokes she used to eliminate No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the semifinals and now has the biggest title of her career.
Not that Zheng hasn’t shown plenty of promise already. She is ranked No. 7, after all, and was the runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka at the hard-court Australian Open in January.
This, though, could make her a real star in her country. International Tennis Hall of Fame member Li Na is the only Chinese player to win a Grand Slam singles title — at the 2011 French Open and 2014 Australian Open — and served as inspiration for Zheng when she was a kid learning the sport.
Novak Djokovic will play Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday for the men’s singles gold.
