Iga Swiatek's quarterfinal clash against Danielle Collins at the 2024 Paris Olympics ended in drama, with the American retiring midway through the third set and leaving the World No. 1 stumped after a lengthy lecture during their handshake. Collins had earlier hit Swiatek on the body with a nasty blow at the beginning of the set, which made her fall to her knees in pain.
Swiatek, the defending French Open champion, started strong on Court Suzanne-Lenglen on Wednesday, taking the opening set 6-1. However, Collins bounced back strongly in the second, taking it 6-2 to force a decider.
With all to play for in the final set, Iga Swiatek stepped on the gas, breaking twice to take a 3-0 lead. At 4-1, Collins, who had taken a medical time-out at the end of the second set, decided to throw in the towel, citing an injury.
After that, Collins approached Swiatek to shake her hand, and the interaction lengthened as the American appeared to treat the 23-year-old to a long speech. When Danielle Collins left, the World No. 1 appeared visibly confused by what had happened, lending an air of strangeness to an already bizarre scene.
The head-to-head between the duo is now 7-1, with Iga Swiatek having won their last six matches on the trot. Her only loss at Collins came in the semifinals of the 2022 Australian Open.
Iga Swiatek to take on Zheng Qinwen in Paris Olympics semifinals
Following her win over Danielle Collins, Iga Swiatek will next take on Zheng Qinwen in the semifinals of the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Chinese reached her maiden semifinal at the Olympics, defeating Angelique Kerber in three sets in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
The head-to-head between Zheng and Swiatek is 6-0 in favor of the Pole. The duo have met twice this year, at the United Cup and the Dubai Tennis Championships, with Swiatek winning both encounters in straight sets. On clay, the pair have met twice before, one of which ended in straight sets (2023 Stuttgart Open) and the other in three sets (2022 French Open).
The winner of the clash will take on either Anna Karolina Schmiedlova or one of Marta Kostyuk and Donna Vekic in the final in Paris. None of the women left at the Olympics have won the gold previously, meaning there is a new champion assured at the event this week.