Swiatek wins Olympic bronze for Poland's 1st-ever tennis medal

PARIS (AP) — Iga Swiatek used a towel to wipe tears from her eyes at the Paris Olympics after earning a bronze for Poland's first tennis medal at any Summer Games by beating Anna Karolina Schmiedlova of Slovakia 6-2, 6-1 on Friday.

The match took just 59 minutes, and Swiatek played much more cleanly than she did a day earlier in a straight-set loss to Zheng Qinwen of China in the semifinals. That result ended Swiatek's 25-match unbeaten streak at Roland Garros, the clay-court facility used for the French Open each year and for the 2024 Olympics.

After losing to Zheng on Thursday, Swiatek skipped any questions from print reporters in the mixed zone area for interviews. Her face flushed and eyes red, Swiatek did not break stride as she passed journalists, saying only: "Sorry. Next time."

The No. 1-ranked Swiatek was a popular pick to leave Paris with gold, in large part because she has won four of the past five French Open titles, including the last three in a row. She also won the 2022 U.S. Open.

Schmiedlova defeated both the reigning Wimbledon champion, Barbora Krejcikova, and the runner-up there and at the French Open this year, Jasmine Paolini, on her way to the semifinals, before losing to Donna Vekic of Croatia. Schmiedlova is a 29-year-old who is ranked 67th and has one fourth-round appearance at a Slam. That came last year at Roland Garros.

Zheng faces Vekic in the women's final on Saturday.