The Olympics move quite fast. But Olympic tennis moves quite faster.

Yesterday people were talking about the drama at the end of the Collins vs. Swiatek, me included. Then, I woke up to find out Swiatek had already lost her semifinal match.

Two sets. Iga did not even take a set fro Zheng, who has been playing incredibly consistent tennis the past few weeks. Yet, I would have expect Iga to get to the final, and honestly, I know many of us had her to win the gold.

A Zheng vs. Vekic was not on my bingo card for this year.

Instead of playing for the gold. Going to bed with the satisfaction of securing at least silver for Poland, Iga could end up leaving Paris empty-handed.

It has not been the only painful loss for Swiatek this year. In fact, it comes just a few weeks after an early third round exit, when Putinseva surprised the world by beating the World No. 1 in Wimbledon.

I don’t want to be one of those people that questions and critizices a top player after a single loss but Iga has us so used to his dominance on the tour that anything other than the title feels like a failure.

I’ve noticed she sometimes seems a little more nervous on court. Not so sure of her serve. A little more human.

Her last olympic match was a defeat against Paula Badosa in just the second round. Was she thinking of that match while she was on court today against Zheng? I’m sure she thought of it at least at the end of today’s match.

It’s not a goodbye for Iga. She is young. And I’m sure she will be one of the top contenders for the gold medal in Los Angeles in 2028. But for now she has one last business to attend to: A bronze medal match against Schmiedlová.

Compared to her last Olympics result, a bronze medal would be a big deal for Iga and her country, which currently stands 33rd in the medal table.

Bronze or nothing?

To be continued…