Six days after announcing that the Paris Games would be the final tournament of her career, Germany’s Angelique Kerber lost to Zheng Qinwen 6-7(4) 6-4 7-6(6) in the quarterfinals of the Olympics, marking the end of her illustrious tennis career.
Before the start of the 2024 Olympic Games, the three-time Grand Slam champion revealed her decision to retire, stating, “While this might actually be the right decision, it will never feel that way. Simply because I love the sport with all my heart and I’m thankful for the memories and opportunities it has given me.”
Playing against sixth-seeded Zheng Qinwen in the quarterfinals, Kerber was just two games away from advancing to the medal rounds for the second time in her career. Leading the Australian Open finalist 4-1 in the third set, Kerber seemed poised for victory. However, Zheng, who had previously saved a match point in a grueling 3-hour and 12-minute third-round win over American Emma Navarro, rallied impressively. In a match that lasted 3 hours and 4 minutes, Zheng served to stay in the match twice in the third set. In a thrilling final-set tiebreak, she showed remarkable composure and determination to secure the victory.
Zheng has become the second Chinese player, male or female, to reach the singles semifinals at the Olympic Tennis Event, following in the footsteps of Li Na. Her next opponent will be the gold-medal favorite Iga Swiatek, who advanced past No. 8 seed Danielle Collins of the United States with a score of 6-1 2-6 4-1 ret., making the WTA No. 1 the first Polish player in history to reach the Olympic semifinals in singles.
The winner of the Zheng vs. Swiatek match will advance to the gold-medal final, while the loser will compete for the bronze. Swiatek holds a commanding 6-0 head-to-head lead over Zheng. (source: WTA, photo: Jimmie48)
