China has a new tennis champion.
Zheng Qinwen became the first Chinese player, man or woman, to win an Olympic singles gold medal when she prevailed in the women’s singles final over Croatia’s Donna Vekic on Saturday, 6-2, 6-3.
Zheng started the match by serving the world No. 13 seed an ace, setting the pace of the final with ease. Vekic couldn’t keep up with Zheng’s efforts, and found herself down two breaks early in Set 1. Zheng took the first set in 48 minutes.
Vekic’s game completely unraveled in Set 2. Zheng’s energy outlasted Vekic’s, who appeared worn out. While Zheng continued to capture points, Vekic’s frustration mounted, and at one point she chucked her racket across the court, shaking her head. Vekic’s shot selection was misjudged, and in total she made 31 unforced errors throughout the match. Zheng converted a fourth point break, and had the opportunity to serve for the match. In the final point, Zheng blasted a forehand winner that Vekic couldn’t reach.
Zheng's gilded finish in her Olympic debut builds upon the Chinese mixed doubles team silver medal finish on Friday. China's Xinyu Wang and Zhizhen Zheng earned a silver medal on Friday, when they fell to Katerina Siniakova and Tomas Machac of Czechia in the mixed doubles final, 6-2, 5-7, 10-8.