Angelique Kerber’s tennis career is over after a gritty 6-7(4) 6-4 7-6(6) defeat to Qinwen Zheng at the Olympics.
The German’s incredible career which has seen her win three Grand Slams and an Olympic silver medal ended in heart-breaking fashion.
It was a match so typical of Kerber’s career as she battled for every last ball and she recovered from a 5-3 deficit to take the opening set into a tiebreak.
Kerber played some exquisite tennis on big points to take the tiebreak 7-4 with both players working hard.
In the second set both players remained stern on serve but it was Zheng who was the more efficient player when it mattered most.
The Australian Open finalist broke in the ninth game to seal a 5-4 lead before closing out the second set.
In an emotional and hard-fought final set both players showed what it means to represent their country and did everything in their power to control the match.
It was the perfect start for Kerber who broke in the fourth game before saving four break points to consolidate the break and take a 4-1 lead in the deciding set.
However Zheng wasn’t ready to give up just yet and a break to love in the seventh game saw her get back on track in the deciding set.
Both players played some passive points as this exhausting three hour match would be decided by a tiebreak.
In the end it was Zheng who was more authoritative and the sixth seed guaranteed herself a medal match with victory.
Zheng will now play either Iga Swiatek or Danielle Collins for a place in the gold medal match.
As for Kerber, the German’s career ends after some incredible achievements in the sport including being world number one.
Schmiedlova knocks out Krejcikova to reach semi-finals
Meanwhile in the other match in Paris, there was a shock as world number 69 Anna Karolina Schmiedlova is into the semi-finals after a straight sets win over Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova.
The Slovakian will now face Marta Kostyuk or Donna Vekic for a place in the gold medal match.
Schmiedlova is the lowest ranked player into the semi-finals of the Olympics since tennis was reintroduced to the games in 1988.
