Zheng Qinwen summons inner strength to claim China’s first Olympic singles gold medal with victory against Donna Vekić

Paris CNN —

Zheng Qinwen arrived at the Paris Olympics as a top-10 player but an unlikely candidate to win the title. She will leave as China’s first-ever tennis singles champion, the biggest accolade of her young career.

Against Croatia’s Donna Vekić, Zheng produced a stunning display of powerful hitting on the clay of Roland Garros, triumphing 6-2, 6-3 in a hard-fought gold medal match.

Don’t be fooled by the lopsided scoreline – Zheng was made to battle throughout the one-hour, 44-minute contest, saving multiple break points and pouncing on every opportunity she had to get further in front.

Upon winning match point, her delight was laid bare. She dropped to the ground, stretching her arms out wide and caking her back in red clay.

Even Zheng’s idol, two-time grand slam champion Li Na, did not match this feat, never finishing better than fourth at an Olympics.

“That was an unbelievable experience for me. I just made history and I’m so happy for this moment,” Zheng told reporters, adding: “You can see the strength I have in this tournament, the behavior, the eyes, the hunger that I have, it’s different than all the other tournaments I play.”

Perhaps Zheng’s best – and certainly least expected – victory at these Olympics came in the semifinals, ending world No. 1 Iga Świątek’s 25-match winning streak at Roland Garros.

That win would have done wonders for the 21-year-old’s confidence ahead of the final, and she started the match with purpose and aggression by breaking Vekić’s serve for a 2-0 lead.

Vekić, already making history as the first Croatian tennis player to reach an Olympic singles final, took longer to settle. She soon proved equal to Zheng’s big hitting,