Iga Swiatek was overcome with emotions after a surprising loss to China’s Qinwen Zheng in the Paris Olympics semifinals Thursday.
The 23-year-old Polish pro, who is the No, 1-ranked woman in the world, walked off during a post-match interview when she seemingly couldn’t stop crying.
Swiatek — who was beat by the No. 7-ranked Zheng in straight sets, 6-2, 7-5 — took a moment and put her head down.
The five-time Grand Slam champion bit her lip before wiping near her eyes with her hand.
Swiatek nodded her head a few times and walked away with both of her hands over her face.
The defeat came as a surprise to some as Swiatek came back with a 4-0 lead in the second set on Court Philippe-Chatrie at Roland Garros.
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Swiatek is the three-time defending champion at the French Open, which is played at Roland Garros, and this was her first loss at the venue since 2021.
It also marked Zheng’s first win against Swiatek.
Swiatek entered the women’s tennis singles competition 6-0 against the 21-year-old Zheng in their previous matches.
One of those was a fourth-round victory against Zheng during the French Open in 2022.
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Zheng will face the winner of Thursday’s semifinals match between Croatia’s Donna Vekic, the 13th seed, and unseeded Anna Karolina Schmiedlova of Slovakia.