Just four players are still in pursuit of a Gold Medal at the Paris Olympics. All four are now guaranteed a shot at a medal, but all four will no doubt be desperate to make it to the medal match. As ever, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for both semifinals, as well as all the action from the doubles and the men’s draw. But who will advance to the Gold Medal match and who will fall to the Bronze?
Paris Olympics Semifinal Predictions
Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (Slovakia) vs Donna Vekic (Croatia)
Jim: Anna Karolina Schmiedlova’s victory over former French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova was unexpected to say the least, and perhaps gives hope to Zheng who is facing an uphill battle against Swiatek. Indeed, the Slovakian has been playing so well so far at the Paris Olympics that it would be no surprise to see her continue her campaign and earn a shot at the Gold Medal.
Prediction: Schiedlova in 3
Ateet:
Schmiedlova has been on a dream run as she backed her win against Paolini by beating Barbora Krejcikova in the quarterfinals. She has a chance to win a medal for her country and that will be one of the biggest achievements of her career if not the biggest. Donna Vekic was in a war against Marta Kostyuk and she was the last woman standing in the end. She displayed incredible mental fortitude to deal with the disappointments in the third set. However, that match took a lot out of her and she looked tired in the end.
Prediction: Schmiedlova in 3
Jordan:
Recovering from her marathon match against Marta Kostyuk without a day’s rest will be very tough for Vekic. Understandably, she was struggling physically in the third set against the Ukrainian but somehow pulled out the win. If Schmiedlova strikes the ball as accurately as her previous matches and gets Vekic moving, she has a great chance of completing a fairytale run to the final.
Prediction: Schmiedlova in 2
Iga Swiatek (Poland) vs Qinwen Zheng (China)
Jim: Iga Swiatek was given a scare by Danielle Collins in the quarterfinals and was perhaps fortunate that the American picked up an injury which forced her to withdraw. But it also can’t be forgotten that the Pole has been all but unbeatable on the Parisian clay over the last few years. Zheng Qinwen is having an outstanding season, but her record at Roland Garros is so-so and unless competing for her country inspires to previously unseen heights, there is surely only one winner here.
Prediction: Swiatek in 2
Ateet:
Swiatek played a strange match against Danielle Collins. The match has lots of momentum swings and drama at times. What matters is Swiatek got through in the end and was the better player in the third set. She is just two wins away from being an Olympic champion. Qinwen Zheng has struggled in her last two matches and would be relieved to be in the semifinals. She has fought valiantly but I can’t see her causing much problems to Swiatek.
Prediction: Swiatek in 2
Jordan:
Both players have reached the semifinal without playing their best tennis. Zheng showed her fighting qualities to win a long and dramatic match against Angelique Kerber. She will have to play much better to stand any chance against Swiatek. The Chinese player’s serve needs to be firing on all cylinders, but even that probably will not be enough to beat the world No. 1.
Prediction: Swiatek in 2
Main photo credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
