Iga Swiatek was left in tears after being dumped out of the Olympic Games by Qinwen Zheng on Thursday afternoon. The World No.1 refused to shake the umpire’s hand following her 6-2, 7-5 defeat and later walked away from an interview to cry.
Swiatek had not lost a match at Roland Garros in 1189 days since 2021 and the defeat ended her 25-match winning streak at the venue. Likely losing her best chance of a gold medal on her favoured surface got to her.
Although she can still claim a bronze medal against the loser of Schmiedlova and Vekic, it is a showcase of how much she wanted it. Her reaction spoke volumes compared to her usual demeanour. Zheng raced through the opening set 6-2 before Swiatek responded in the second 4-0.
But Swiatek soon collapsed as she lost four games in a row as Qinwen set her stall towards a gold medal match. The No.6 seed earned one more break and closed out the win with a huge serve. As Zheng collapsed to the ground, the ball mark was checked and ruled in favour of the former. Swiatek after the handshake at the net walked past the umpire. After the match, the five-time Grand Slam champion completed media duties and walked off to cry halfway through her interview with Eurosport.
She started to get emotional during it, but as she was asked further questions, she decided to not continue and walked off to cry. Taking its toll on the World No.1 who is usually resolute in the face of defeat.
Iga Swiatek in tears after her loss to Qinwen Zheng at the Olympics. 💔 Very sad to see this. She wanted it so badly. But she has to be so proud of what she’s done on this court. 4 Roland Garros titles at 23 years old is insane. Chin up. ❤️