Paris 2024: Zheng Qinwen scores huge upset over Iga Swiatek, becomes first Chinese to reach Olympic tennis singles final

Zheng Qinwen stunned World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, 6-2, 7-5, at the Court Philippe-Chatrier to advance to the finals in women's tennis in Paris 2024.

Zheng scored the huge upset over Swiatek in the very same venue where the latter has shown dominance in the last five years, winning Roland Garros, the second Grand Slam tournament of the year, four times including the last three.

Zheng thus became the first Chinese to reach the final stage in the Olympics, bettering the semifinal run of compatriot Li Na in the Beijing edition in 2008.

Zheng lost all of her six previous meetings with Swiatek, including their first at Roland Garros in 2022, where the Chinese won the first set via tiebreak before the Pole responded with a bagel in the second then wrapped it up in the third for a 6-7(5), 6-0, 6-2 win.

Swiatek went on to win her second title in the Parisian major.

But there was no such comeback for Swiatek, now a five-time Grand Slam champion, two years later, even after she put a 4-0 lead in the second set against Zheng.

The 2024 Australian Open finalist saved two break points in the eighth game on a pair of timely aces to draw level at 4-4.

But with Swiatek misfiring on both ends, Zheng broke the Pole for a 6-5 edge.

She then steeled herself, erasing another break point as she flicked a crafty drop shot to wrongfoot Swiatek before a couple more errors from the Pole's racket sealed her the victory.

Swiatek sputtered with 36 total unforced errors in the one-hour-and-50-minute match that put a stop to her 20-game win streak on clay after also ruling Madrid and Rome.

This is also just the third time for the 23-year-old ace to lose at the site of the Parisian major where she holds a 38-2 record.

Despite the odds, Zheng remained resolute, breaking Swiatek's serve six times to assure herself of a 1-2 finish in the Games.

Swiatek will still battle in the bronze medal match.