Paris Olympics 2024: Iga Swiatek vs Zheng Qinwen preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (1) Iga Swiatek vs (6) Zheng Qinwen
Date: August 1, 2024
Tournament: Paris Olympics 2024
Round: Semifinals
Venue: Stade Roland Garros, Paris, France
Category: Olympics
Surface: Clay
Live Telecast: USA - NBC, Peacock | UK - Eurosport, Discovery+, BBC iPlayer | Canada - CBC Gem, Radio Canada, Tou.tv | India - JioCinema, Sports18
Iga Swiatek vs Zheng Qinwen preview
Top seed Iga Swiatek will take on sixth seed Zheng Qinwen in the semifinals of the 2024 Paris Olympics on Thursday.
Swiatek is yet again the player to beat on the women's tour this year. She's amassed 51 wins from 56 matches so far, including title-winning runs in Doha, Indian Wells, Madrid, Rome and Paris. The Pole successfully defended her crown at the 2024 French Open by outsmarting Jasmine Paoilini in the finals, 6-2, 6-1.
Swiatek entered the Olympics on the back of a third round exit in Wimbledon. She defeated the likes of Irina-Camelia Begu, Diane Parry and Wang Xiyu en route to the quarterfinals and then edged past Danielle Collins in the last eight. The top seed was handed the victory mid-way through the third set (6-1, 2-6, 4-1) as Collins was forced to throw in the towel due to injury.
Meanwhile, Qinwen Zheng, has been one of the surprise packages on the women's tour this year. She's chalked up 27 wins from 39 matches, including a title-winning run at the Palermo Ladies Open. She also reached the finals of the Australian Open for the first time in her career, but came up shy against defending champion Aryna Sabalenka.
The 21-year-old started her campaign at the Olympics with solid wins over Sara Errani, Arnatxa Rus and Emma Navarro in the first three rounds. She then put up a sensational performance to outlast Angelique Kerber in the quarterfinals, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(4). Zheng is currently on a nine-match winning streak on tour.
Iga Swiatek vs Zheng Qinwen head-to-head
Swiatek leads 6-0 in the head-to-head against Qinwen. The most recent fixture between the two came in the quarterfinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships, with the Pole winning 6-4, 6-4.
Iga Swiatek vs Zheng Qinwen odds
All odds sourced from BETMGM.
Iga Swiatek vs Zheng Qinwen prediction
Iga Swiatek's last defeat in Paris came in 2021, where she lost to Maria Sakkari in the French Open quarterfinals. Since then, the Pole has claimed the claycourt Major thrice in her career and is now two wins away from clinching an invaluable Gold medal at the Olympics. The 21-year-old has hardly broken a sweat in any of her matches leading to the last four.
Qinwen, on the contrary, has continued her dream run at the Olympics with a staggering victory over Angelique Kerber in the quarterfinals. The Chinese talent has gotten out of jail in a couple of matches since last week and has a great opportunity to make her country proud in Paris. She has a resilient all-around game and quick decision-making skills on court.
Swiatek has dominated their head-to-head battle and will be a favorite to come out on top again. Zheng's unbeaten streak in the last nine matches will help her confidence entering this bout, but it is most likely that she comes up short against the relentless Pole in Paris.
Pick: Swiatek to win in three-sets.