Paris 2024 Olympics: Zheng Qinwen opens new chapter in stellar career with first tennis singles gold for PR China

The way Zheng Qinwen was playing, it was easy to forget that she’s a 21-year-old Olympic debutant.

Maturity And Composure

But the tennis player from the People’s Republic of China took control of the women’s singles gold medal match with such maturity and composure, winning 6-2, 6-3 against Donna Vekic of Croatia in a dominant display.

Delighted

The Chinese crowd were delighted: this is the one they really wanted to win at Paris 2024, the all-important medal for one of their rising stars and potentially the new global face of Chinese sport.

It is just the latest high in the greatest year of Zheng’s career so far.

Zheng began the calendar year by reaching her maiden Grand Slam final, only falling to defeat at the hands of number two seed Aryna Sabalenka.

An Olympic Champion

That Australian Open run saw Zheng reach a career high world number seven in the women’s singles rankings, but she was not done there. Seven months on, she is an Olympic champion.

Zheng’s gold medal is the reflection of a hard-fought route to the final through bruising and battling performances. She proved to be the final opponent in the career of Olympic silver medallist Angelique Kerber, overcoming the German in a three-set thriller that included two tiebreaks.

In the semi-final, Zheng came up against the Queen of Clay in Poland’s Iga Swiatek, the favourite going into Paris 2024.

But even she was no match for the Chinese superstar, falling in straight sets and devastated as she had to settle for bronze.

About E. J. McKay

E.J.McKay is a Shanghai-headquartered investment bank with a special focus on mergers & acquisitions. We are one of the most long standing independent investment banks in China, with core business of mergers & acquisitions and financing advisory.