The men's Gold Medal match is the one that the fans would have all hoped for at the Paris Olympic Games, but the Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz hype will just have to slow down for a while.
Iga Swiatek has won the Bronze Medal, but the women's Gold Medal match is set for Saturday and we are going to have another surprising winner regardless of the outcome. This has been a feature of women's tennis in recent years, while especially being the case at the recent Olympic Games, and the entire draw will feel there is an opportunity to win a big title when they head to New York City for the US Open.
Qinwen Zheng - 3.5 games v Donna Vekic: Winning a Grand Slam remains the ultimate prize for any player on the Tour, but the opportunity to win a Gold Medal is one that many would like to have.
It is Qinwen Zheng and Donna Vekic who have that chance on Saturday having made their way through the Paris Olympics draw and both have been playing with plenty of confidence over the last month.
Last month Donna Vekic reached the Semi Final at Wimbledon before losing a tough battle against Jasmine Paolini, but all credit has to be given to the Croatian for the performances so far this week. The clay courts are the weakest surface on which Vekic will perform and she had a losing record on the surface for the second season in a row prior to her run in Paris.
Donna Vekic did reach the Third Round at the French Open, but had only won one match in her three tournaments in Stuttgart, Madrid and Rome and she would have been a big price to reach the Gold Medal match at this event.
Qinwen Zheng also had a disappointing run at the French Open, but she won a clay court title in Palermo in July between Wimbledon and the Olympic Games. This means she has a 22-8 record on the clay over the last two seasons before arriving in Paris and winning five matches here, including the upset of Iga Swiatek in the Semi Final.
There have been some rough moments for both players- Zheng was very close to losing to Emma Navarro and Angelique Kerber, while Donna Vekic was incredibly fortunate to beat Marta Kostyuk in the Quarter Final. Those will not be a major concern going into the Gold Medal match, especially with a day of rest for the players between the Semi Final and this one.
Out of the two players, Qinwen Zheng has the clay court pedigree to take home the Gold Medal, while she also went one better than Donna Vekic as the Australian Open Finalist earlier this season before losing to Aryna Sabalenka. That should help in trying to handle the nerves and the pressure of the occasion, while the Zheng serve has perhaps been operating in a stronger fashion than the Croatian's.
This could make the difference in the Gold Medal match and Qinwen Zheng can back up the most recent meeting between the players which was won in three sets on a hard court in October 2023. On the clay, you would have to favour Qinwen Zheng a little bit more and she can find a way to win the match and cover this mark, especially with Donna Vekic perhaps not as accustomed to the conditions in the middle of the day as her opponent.
MY PICKS: Qinwen Zheng - 3.5 Games @ 1.87 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Paris Olympics Update: 7-10, - 8.50 Units (34 Units Staked, - 25% Yield)
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