PICTURE: Zheng Qinwen falls to the ground in elation after scripting history as first Chinese tennis player to reach Olympic final at Paris 2024

Zheng Qinwen pulled off the biggest upset of the 2024 Paris Olympics after ousting top seed Iga Swiatek in the women's singles semifinals on August 1. The Chinese star had not won a match against Swiatek before their clash in the Summer Games.

Zheng qualified for the quadrennial event as the singles gold medalist at the Asian Games. She had to go the extra mile to beat Emma Navarro and Angelique Kerber to reach the semifinals in the French capital. Her next opponent, top seed Swiatek, needed three sets to dispatch Danielle Collins in her quarterfinal contest.

Swiatek was the firm favorite to win the gold medal, given her fantastic form on clay and the falling of her seeded opponent. However, the Pole made an erratic start to the contest and struggled with hot and humid conditions. She was broken three times by Zheng, who took the one-set advantage.

Swiatek roared back into the second set by racing to a 4-0, but she could not hold on to her lead. Zheng broke Swiatek back twice to level the score and once more at 6-5 to serve for the match. The Chinese No. 1 completed the task on the first attempt and won 6-2, 7-5 in one hour and 51 minutes. She became the first player to defeat the Pole at Stade Roland Garros since 2021.

Zheng Qinwen was overcome after recording the biggest win of her career and her first in seven meetings over Iga Swiatek. She fell to the floor of an electric Court Philippe-Chatrier in jubilation before gathering herself to exchange pleasantries with Swiatek at the net and soak in the applause.

With her win over Swiatek, Zheng Qinwen became the first Chinese player, male or female, to reach the gold medal match at the Olympic Games.

Zheng Qinwen to face Donna Vekic or Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in Paris Olympics 2024 final

Zheng Qinwen (Source: Getty)

Zheng Qinwen, seeded sixth, is the only top 10 seed left in the women's singles draw at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The 21-year-old is currently on a 10-match winning streak. She defended her title at the Palermo Open before coming to the Olympics and now won five matches on the trot to reach the gold medal match.

Zheng is guaranteed to be the first-ever Chinese tennis player to win an Olympic medal. The color of the medal will be decided in the final on Saturday, August 3, when the World No. 7 faces either Donna Vekic or Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.

Vekic has been in the best form of her career after reaching her maiden Grand Slam semifinal at Wimbledon and now her maiden Olympic semifinal in Paris. Meanwhile, Schmiedlova has stunned the tennis world with her fairytale run in the French capital and recorded impressive wins over top-10 rivals Jasmine Paolini and Barbora Krejcikova en route to the last four.