August 01, (THEWILL) – Iga Swiatek, the world’s top-ranked tennis player, experienced an unexpected loss in the Olympic semi-finals at Roland Garros on Thursday.
The 23-year-old Polish star was defeated by China’s Qinwen Zheng, ending her 25-match winning streak at the French venue. Swiatek, who had won three consecutive French Open titles, was widely expected to claim the gold medal.
In her post-match interview with Eurosport Poland, Swiatek admitted to having “a hole in my backhand,” which she described as unusual for her typically reliable stroke. The clay-court specialist made 36 unforced errors compared to Zheng’s 15, despite holding a 6-0 career record against her opponent prior to the match.
Swiatek blamed stress and limited preparation time between matches for her poor performance. She explained that she lacked proper technical positioning due to these factors and was unable to make effective adjustments during the game. The five-time Grand Slam champion declined to take questions from international reporters after the match.
The defeat comes after a challenging week for Swiatek, who was hit by a ball during her quarter-final victory over Danielle Collins on Wednesday. Collins later accused Swiatek of insincerity after the American withdrew from the match due to stomach pain, which she attributed to heat stress caused by a lack of fresh water on the courts.
Despite the loss, Swiatek still has a chance to win a medal. She will compete in the bronze medal match against the loser of the other semi-final between Croatian Donna Vekic and Slovak Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
