At the 2024 Paris Games, Zheng Qinwen defeated Donna Vekic of Croatia on Saturday to become the first Chinese tennis player to win the gold medal in the singles competition. She celebrated her victory, calling it a proud moment for both herself and her nation.
With her 6-2, 6-3 victory, the 21-year-old became China’s second-ever tennis gold medallist, after Li Ting and Sun Tiantian’s 2004 Athens women’s doubles victory.
Zheng won on the same Roland Garros Court Philippe Chatrier as her famed compatriot Li Na, who made history in 2011 by becoming China’s first Grand Slam champion.
She expressed her happiness after the win and said: “Nothing can describe my emotion, every round was super difficult and I did everything I could to get a medal for my country. I feel my country will be proud of me, I’m proud of myself. My family are at home, I’m sure they are screaming at the TV. I just fight every match. I have a special energy playing for my country. I never give up.”
Qinwen Zheng with her gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Unbelievable tennis this week.
Golden Girl. 🥇
🇨🇳❤️ pic.twitter.com/wIV9LKGlvi
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 3, 2024
Qinwen Zheng in 2024
Now ranked no.7 (career-high), Qinwen played her last match on the 3rd of August when she overcame world no.21 Donna Vekic 6-2 6-3 in the final in Paris to win her 4th career title.
Until now, during this year Qinwen has managed to achieve a composed 32-12 match record. Zheng conquered 2 titles in 2024 in Palermo and Paris. The Chinese got to the final at the Australian Open.
Qinwen Zheng will square off with the world no.275 Alice Tubello in the quarter. In the past, they have never played each other as of now in top tournaments.
The Chinese conquered 2 titles in 2024 in Palermo and Paris. Qinwen reached the final at the Australian Open.
Zheng won 4 titles in her career: 1 on hard courts and 3 on clay courts. (See the list of her titles)
Zheng is scheduled to play next in Toronto (National Bank Open). She will start the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 5th of August.
