“Fighting for my country, I won—it’s the strength that the whole of China has given me!” said an emotional Zheng Qinwen.
If belief had a color, it would surely be Chinese red. The Roland Garros clay courts have witnessed Zheng Qinwen’s repeated breakthroughs, from American player Navarro to German veteran Kerber. For two consecutive days, Zheng battled for three hours each day, and on August 1st, she faced her strongest opponent in the Paris Olympics—the current world No. 1, Swiatek. “For my country, I’ll play another three hours if I need to!” said Zheng Qinwen firmly.
Swiatek is not only the current world No. 1 but also a clay court specialist with four French Open championship trophies, including three consecutive wins in recent years.
Prior to the match, almost no one favored Zheng Qinwen, as she had already battled for two days and was severely fatigued. Swiatek’s greatest advantage lies in her mobility; her shots have strong spin and high speed, making them very suitable for clay courts. Even if both players were at their best, Zheng Qinwen’s chances of winning were slim. Before today’s encounter, Zheng Qinwen had faced Swiatek six times without a single victory. Due to her dominant performance at the French Open, Swiatek enjoys a large fan base in France, and on the day of the match, she looked confident in her white outfit as she walked onto the court amidst cheers from the crowd.
Zheng Qinwen still showed signs of fatigue on her face, yet she continued wearing her Chinese red tennis dress, which complemented the clay court beautifully, like a flame dancing across Roland Garros. At this moment, the only thing supporting Zheng Qinwen was her burning conviction.
“If the match against Kerber was the most physically and mentally challenging game for me, then today’s match was a breakthrough in terms of my willpower,” said Zheng Qinwen. “I defeated her on the surface she excels at, which is significant for me.”
In the first set, Zheng Qinwen took the initiative, going all out. A slightly overconfident Swiatek was momentarily overwhelmed by Zheng’s momentum and did not perform up to her usual standards. With a score of 6-2, Zheng Qinwen won the first set. In the second set, seeing that the situation was turning unfavorable, Swiatek quickly adjusted her state and began to counterattack, winning four consecutive games, putting Zheng Qinwen at a 0-4 disadvantage.
The grueling battles under the scorching sun for three consecutive days had left Zheng Qinwen somewhat exhausted, and within the quiet stadium, one could hear her heavy breathing. Swiatek seized on this opportunity and continuously played shots to move Zheng around the court.
Despite being extremely fatigued, Zheng Qinwen did not give up. She fought back point by point until she tied the score at 4-4. Then, they battled to a 5-5 draw. Under pressure, Zheng Qinwen ultimately won the second set 7-5, advancing to the finals. “Today, I played smarter. If I had encountered this situation before, I might have thought about giving up and focusing on the deciding set. But today, I didn’t think like that. I fought for every point to see what would happen.” In their seventh meeting, Zheng Qinwen finally overcame the mountain that was Swiatek, advancing to the women’s singles final of the Paris Olympics.
After winning the last point, Zheng Qinwen lay down on the ground, overwhelmed with emotion. “I’m happy for myself and for my country. This is a historic breakthrough for our nation, and all my emotions converged at this moment.”
Zheng Qinwen said that since she was young, she had always dreamed of being the one to break records, and now, she had finally achieved it. “I finally have the chance to win a medal for China! A new era for Chinese tennis has arrived.”
