Zheng Qinwen Makes Olympic History with Gold at Paris Games
•3 min read
In the early hours of August 4, Beijing time, China's Zheng Qinwen defeated Croatia's Vekić in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3, to clinch the gold medal in the women's singles tennis final at the 2024 Paris Olympics.This is the first time the Chinese team has clinched an Olympic gold medal in women's singles tennis, marking another historic Olympic triumph for China—following Li Ting and Sun Tiantian’s women’s doubles gold at the 2004 Athens Games. Zheng Qinwen has made history.
Zheng Qinwen faced a challenging journey to advancement in these Olympics. Seeded No. 6 in the women’s singles, she kicked off her campaign with a dominant 6-0, 6-0 sweep of Italian veteran Elina in the first round. Moving on to the second round, she dispatched Dutch player Rus in straight sets, easily securing her spot in the last 16. She then delivered a gritty three-set victory against No. 11 seed Navarro, advancing further in the tournament.
In the quarterfinals, Zheng Qinwen battled fiercely over three grueling sets to defeat German star Kerber—a match that lasted an exceptionally long time, leaving her visibly emotional and even shedding tears on court afterward. In the semifinals, she faced world No. 1 Swiatek, who had previously beaten her six times, but Zheng emerged victorious with a commanding 6-2, 7-5 scoreline, snapping her opponent's streak of 23 consecutive clay-court wins—and, more importantly, ending her own six-match losing skid against Swiatek.
In the final, Zheng Qinwen took an early 6-2 lead in the first set after breaking her opponent's serve twice. In the second set, Zheng Qinwen experienced a rollercoaster of momentum—first leading, then seeing the score leveled—but ultimately prevailed 6-3, clinching the match 2-0 overall.
Zheng Qinwen was born on October 8, 2002, in Shiyan City, Hubei Province. Her father is a former track and field athlete.She is currently ranked No. 7 in the world and has won five career titles: the 2023/2024 WTA 250 Palermo title, the 2023 WTA 500 Zhengzhou title, the women’s singles gold medal at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, and the women’s singles gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She also finished as runner-up at this year’s Australian Open.
Zheng Qinwen's victory undoubtedly carries immense significance. She has written a new chapter in Chinese tennis history, and her success will inspire more young Chinese athletes to take up the sport, ultimately driving the growth and development of tennis in China.Meanwhile, this victory has also boosted China's influence in international tennis, earning greater respect and opening up more opportunities for Chinese tennis players.
