Competing for a medal at the Olympic Games is the pinnacle for many athletes, and one of those is Iga Swiatek, who came up short in her quest to win a gold medal.
The 23-year-old suffered a heartbreaking defeat in the semifinal to China's No. 1 player, Qinwen Zheng. It was the first time she had lost on the hallowed clay of Roland Garros since 2021, a surface and tournament she has dominated in the last three years.
So, the magnitude of this shock result reverberated around Paris. Perhaps the writing was on the wall. Zheng memorably took a set from Swiatek when they first met at the Tour level at the 2022 French Open. The world took note of her talents.
This time, the Chinese player came of age to pull off the biggest upset of the season. It's a bittersweet moment for Swiatek, who made history for Poland this week by reaching the semifinal.
She became the first player from her country, male or female, to advance to this stage of the Olympic tennis tournament. Swiatek was the clear-cut favorite to win the gold medal even before a ball was struck.
And there was no denying she would also have ranked high on the list of contenders for a mixed doubles medal, too, had Hubert Hurkacz been fit enough to play the event.
After all, the pair had been central figures in elevating Poland's status on the tennis map in the last few years and are both ranked in the Top 10 in their respective tours.
They also have wonderful team chemistry. When they played at the United Cup earlier this year, they came within a point of winning the tournament but lost to Alexander Zverev's inspired Germany.
Swiatek will still fight to win a medal but must settle for bronze. Her reaction after her defeat to Zheng was that of despair and disappointment, feeling like she had let her country down.
The World No. 1 could not conceal her tears when she spoke to Eurosport in the media room. Swiatek struggled to compose herself during the post-match interview and began crying.
A second clip of Swiatek's reaction in the backroom area has also been shared on X. The Pole can be seen wiping away tears before holding onto her knees. She received some encouragement from two journalists before she left the room.
Swiatek can still salvage her Olympics campaign in the third-place play-off match against Slovakia's Anna Karolina Schmiedlova. The winner will take home a bronze medal.
Despite not meeting pre-tournament expectations, this is already an improvement for Swiatek at the Olympic Games. Three years ago, she did not even scale the second-round stage in Tokyo, losing to Paula Badosa in straight sets.
On Friday afternoon, she can become the first player from Poland to win an Olympic tennis medal. She has never played Schmiedlova before. Zheng and Croatia's Donna Vekic will contest the gold medal match. We are guaranteed a new winner for all three medals on offer, but will Swiatek be on the podium?
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