Tennis on the 2024 Paris Olympics is quickly reaching a conclusion, as the ladies’s singles semifinals are actually fully set. High seed Iga Swiatek of Poland will face the sixth-seeded Qinwen Zheng of China in a single half of the bracket, whereas Croatia’s Donna Vekic will face Anna Karolina Schmiedlová of Slovakia within the different.
Whereas tennis on the Olympics is sort of a single elimination Grand Slam, the 2 losers of the semifinal matchups gained’t merely be going residence as in a Slam — they’ll face one another in a bronze medal matchup to try to add to their nation’s totals.
Each semifinal matchups are set for Thursday morning on Court docket Philippe-Chatrier at Roland Garros and might be accessible to view dwell streaming on Peacock. The primary matchup, between Swiatek and Zheng, is about for six a.m. whereas the second might be within the afternoon, at present set for 3:30 p.m. ET.
Swiatek is the heavy favourite to win as a clay courtroom specialist with a historical past of dominating at Roland Garros, residence of the French Open. She’s gained three consecutive titles at Roland Garros and 4 of the final 5. This might be her first gold medal if she will make it previous Zheng after which the winner of Schmiedlová/Vekic. Swiatek did take part within the 2020 Olympics however was eradicated within the second spherical.
She’s coming off a quarterfinal matchup in opposition to Danielle Collins, an American competing in her closing Olympics and closing season total. Collins was coping with an harm and whereas she took the second set, she finally needed to withdraw whereas down 4-1 within the third set, with Swiatek taking the victory at 6-1, 2-6, 4-1.
Zheng is the sixth seed and is herself coming off a really slender three-set victory over Angelique Kerber of Germany. Zheng finally gained the match, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(6). Kerber, like Collins, is not going to be collaborating within the subsequent Olympics and is looking it a profession after her elimination. Zheng, 21, might be Swiatek’s hardest check of those Olympics, although she has by no means crushed Swiatek in six profession conferences, together with two on clay.
Within the different half of the bracket, Vekic and Schmiedlová are each acquainted names in tennis, although neither obtained a lot consideration for gold medal hypothesis earlier than these Olympics began. Vekic is ranked No. 21 on the planet in singles play, and has no Grand Slam semifinal victories to her title and only one look — in Wimbledon barely a month in the past. Schmiedlová is ranked No. 67 on the planet and has by no means even appeared in a Grand Slam quarterfinals in singles play. Neither had been anticipated to be right here, however each have appeared glorious all through this event.
Through the years, Schmiedlová and Vekic have solely confronted one another one time beforehand, with Vekic taking a straight-set victory all the best way again in 2018 on onerous courts. Schmiedlová is coming off a straight-sets victory over Barbora Krejcikova, 6-4, 6-2. Vekic was pushed to a 3rd set tiebreak in opposition to Marta Kostyuk, successful 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(8).
Girls’s singles semifinals on the 2024 Paris Olympics
No. 1 Iga Swiatek vs. No. 6 Qinwen Zheng (6 a.m. ET approx.)
Anna Karolina Schmiedlová vs. No. 13 Donna Vekic (3:30 p.m. ET approx)
