Olympics, Tennis: Zheng Qinwen Knocks Out Iga Swiatek, Alexander Zverev Loses, Carlos Alcaraz Advances

Zheng Qinwen ended Iga Swiatek's 25-match unbeaten streak at Roland Garros on Thursday to become the first Chinese player to reach an Olympic Games singles final as Carlos Alcaraz marched closer to a showdown with Novak Djokovic. Defending champion Alexander Zverev however crashed out, losing his quarter-final to a fired-up Lorenzo Musetti of Italy.

Seventh-ranked Zheng triumphed 6-2, 7-5 over world number one Swiatek and will face either Croatia's Donna Vekic or Anna Karolina Schmiedlova of Slovakia for gold. 

"I feel more than just happy, happy isn't enough to describe how I feel," said Zheng, who had played back-to-back three-hour matches to make the semi-final. "If you ask me to play another three hours for my country, I would."

Swiatek, a four-time French Open champion at Roland Garros, went into the match having not lost in Paris since 2021. The 23-year-old had also defeated Zheng in all of their six previous meetings.

However she was hit off the court by the powerful 21-year-old Australian Open finalist who broke the Pole three times in the opening set. 

Swiatek appeared restored by a 10-minute break and quickly stretched out to a 4-0 lead in the second set before Zheng battled back, retrieving both breaks for 4-4. 

The Chinese star broke again for a 6-5 lead against the error-plagued Swiatek and claimed victory in the next game. By making the final, Zheng is the first Chinese man or woman to reach an Olympic singles gold medal match, bettering the run of Li Na, who finished fourth in the women's event at Beijing in 2008.

China's only Olympics tennis gold came thanks to Li Ting and Sun Tiantian in the women's doubles at Athens in 2004.

'About the fight'

Alcaraz, back at Roland Garros where he won a maiden French