Iga Swiatek breaks down in tears and walks out of interview after bombshell Olympics tennis defeat
TEARFUL Iga Swiatek walked out of an interview after a shock Olympics semi-final defeat.
The world No1’s 25-match winning streak on the Paris clay was ended 6-2 7-5 by sixth seed Qinwen Zheng.
Polish hero Swiatek, 23, has long dreamed of a Games gold.
However, she blew a 4-0 lead in the second set and declined to shake the umpire’s hand at the end.
The four-time French Open champion looked just as devastated an hour afterwards when in front of TV cameras.
She lasted just a few seconds before looking down, putting her hand to her head and walking away.
It was Swiatek’s first loss at Roland Garros since 2021.
And after not speaking to broadcasters, she then rejected interviews with the written media.
Olympic rules allow her to do that but it is still rare to see.
Swiatek is the long-time top-ranked player in women’s tennis.
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And Roland Garros is her best surface, with French Open glory in 2020, 2022, 2023 and in June this year.
She could still win a bronze at Paris 2024 – but that possibility looked little consolation to her.
Chinese star Zheng, 21, zoomed through the opening set 6-2.
Swiatek responded by winning the first four games of the second set, but her younger rival reeled off the next four to level at 4-4.
Zheng broke serve to go 6-5 up and closed out victory in the next game with a powerful service that Swiatek hit long.
The Asian outsider, who lives in Barcelona, fell to the floor in delight and relief.
However, Swiatek asked umpire Miriam Bley to check where Zheng’s serve had bounced.
And when Bley confirmed it had hit the line, the two players shook hands at the net.
Zheng then did the same with the umpire – but in contrast Swiatek walked straight past Bley.
It was an uncomfortable end to an unsatisfactory performance from the strong favourite.
