Tearful Swiatek claims consolation of Olympic bronze

PARIS: World number one Iga Swiatek claimed bronze in the Olympic women´s tennis on Friday, a day after her 25-match Roland Garros win streak came to an end.

Four-time French Open champion Swiatek of Poland eased past Slovakia´s Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-1, 6-1 in an hour of one-sided action on Court Philippe Chatrier. Swiatek was defeated by China´s Zheng Qinwen in Thursday´s semi-finals - her first loss in Paris since 2021 -- while Schmiedlova went down against Donna Vekic of Croatia. The 23-year-old Swiatek was in tears following her loss to Zheng and she wept again Friday despite becoming the first Polish player to win an Olympic tennis medal.