Qinwen Zheng was quick to acknowledge that “the fight is not over” even after crossing the biggest hurdle at the Paris Olympics. While she is now guaranteed at least a silver medal and has a chance to go for gold, Iga Swiatek‘s journey has also not ended. As a close call in the schedule is confirmed, the French Open champion might keep her hopes high for the bronze medal.

Iga Swiatek faced a setback against Zheng Qinwen of China 6-2, 7-5 in the Paris Olympics semifinals today. This defeat came as a surprise since Swiatek, ranked No. 1, had previously won the French Open four times in the past five years and held a 6-0 record against Zheng. Despite starting strong in the second set with a 4-0 lead, Swiatek couldn’t maintain her momentum.

Swiatek now waits to play for the bronze medal against the loser of the other semifinal match between Donna Vekic of Croatia and Anna Karolina Schmiedlova of Slovakia. Vekic earlier defeated the No. 2 seed, Coco Gauff, in the third round. However, there seems to be a big catch for Swiatek’s next competitor.

A tennis insider highlighted a scheduling issue that might benefit Swiatek. “Women’s bronze medal match is actually 2pm tomorrow so the loser of Vekic-Schmiedlova will finish the match around 11pm/midnight and comeback at 2pm to… face Swiatek for a medal on Chatrier. Gosh,” the insider said.

This packed schedule disaster means the loser of the Vekic-Schmiedlova semi-final match will have little time to rest before facing Swiatek, giving her a potential advantage to still secure an Olympic medal, despite the loss. Swiatek, rested and determined, will aim to secure a bronze medal after her unexpected loss.

There were several moments where Zheng was matched against Iga Swiatek. While the Pole swiftly took her down in all of them, the recent defeat became a reason for immense disappointment for her. Although everyone wanted to know if the “queen of clay” was excited about the bronze opportunity, all she could say was, “Sorry! Next time.”

Emotional outburst stops Iga Swiatek from revealing her thoughts post-defeat

Iga Swiatek’s recent defeat against Qinwen Zheng in the Paris Olympics semifinals marked her first loss at Roland Garros since 2021 when Maria Sakkari beat her in the French Open quarter-finals. The Pole, who led 4-0 in the second set, appeared to be determined for a comeback but Zheng won four consecutive games to treat her with a tough time. Swiatek’s frustration was evident as she refused to shake the umpire’s hand and broke down in tears during a Polish interview with Eurosport, eventually spotted resting her head against a wall.

This defeat added more to the already turbulent tournament where Iga Swiatek had previously faced controversy in her match against Danielle Collins. The loss was especially shocking as Swiatek’s dominance on the red dirt was commendable. Now that she finally has lost the opportunity to add a gold medal to her portfolio, she looks forward to playing for the bronze medal with the hope of ending the tournament on a positive note.