PARIS — Right before Zheng Qinwen delivered the very first serve of a victory that would deliver China’s very first Olympic tennis singles gold medal, loud shouts of “Jia You!” in Mandarin rang out from all sections of Court Philippe Chatrier on Saturday (Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, PH time) as fans waved the country’s red-and-yellow flags.
It’s a phrase that literally means “Add oil!” — in other words, “Hit the gas!” — and is loosely equivalent to “Let’s go!” Those yells resumed right after Zheng’s opponent in the 2024 Paris Games women’s final, Donna Vekic of Croatia, put her return into the net. And they were heard over and over again on a breezy, cloudy afternoon whenever things went Zheng’s way.
Which was rather often. The 21-year-old Zheng earned the biggest title of her still-nascent career by defeating Vekic 6-2, 6-3 with the same powerful serves and groundstrokes she used to eliminate No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the semifinals.
“I always want to become one of the Asians that can inspire young kids and make them love tennis more, because tennis is such a great sport, especially for girls. You need to fight. You need to have strength. You need to be fast,” said Zheng, who signed several autographs for members of the crowd after the match. “After this gold medal, I feel, finally, I can play tennis more relaxed.”
Not that she hadn’t already shown plenty of promise. Zheng is ranked No. 7, after all, and was the runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka at the hard-court Australian Open in January.
This triumph, though, could make her a real star at home. International Tennis Hall of Fame member Li Na is the only Chinese player to win a Grand Slam singles title — at the 2011 French Open and 2014 Australian Open — and served as inspiration for Zheng when she was a kid learning the sport.
“I have always been jealous of history-makers like Li Na,” Zheng said. “No matter what, she’s always the first, because she’s the first Asian player to win a Grand Slam. And I now become the first Asian player to win Olympic gold. I made history, as well. However, I still have a long way to go, because winning a Grand Slam is always my dream.”
The Olympic tennis matches are being played at Roland Garros, the clay-court facility that hosts the annual French Open. Swiatek is a four-time champion at that event, including titles there the past three years, and carried a 25-match unbeaten streak at Roland Garros into her matchup with Zheng. / AP