Despite a disappointing semifinal loss to Zheng Qinwen, Iga Swiatek can leave the Paris Games satisfied to an extent as she triumphed over Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-2 6-1 in the bronze medal match, capturing Poland’s first-ever Olympic tennis medal.
The world No. 1 had tears falling down her face as she earned her first Olympic medal after a confident 59-minute victory over Schmiedlova of Slovakia. The world No. 67 Schmiedlova was the first to go up a break in the match, but Swiatek broke back right away and proceeded to win all the remaining games to clinch the first set. In the second set, Swiatek went a break up in the fourth game and never looked back.
The 29-year-old Schmiedlova’s best Grand Slam appearance was reaching the fourth round at the 2023 Roland Garros, which is also the venue for the 2024 Olympic Games. On her way to the bronze-medal match, the Slovak defeated reigning Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova and this year’s French Open runner-up Jasmine Paolini, before falling to Croatia’s Donna Vekic in the semifinals. In the bronze-medal match, Schmiedlova faced the toughest opponent: Swiatek, who was favored to win gold due to her dominance at the French Open, where she has won four of the past five titles, including the last three consecutively.
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