这对临时搭配的选手，最后得了奥运网球混双银牌！！ 太神奇了
大陆记者没有一个人能想到！
Wang Xinyu and Zhang Zhizhen
Paris Olympics: missing shoes and costly flights led China tennis pair to gold medal shot
- Wang Xinyu and Zhang Zhizhen are playing in the mixed doubles final at Roland Garros, but they weren’t even supposed to be partners
Ira Gorawara
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Published: 2:30pm, 2 Aug 2024
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The mixed doubles pairing with a shot at winning a historic tennis gold medal for China at the Paris Olympics was only formed at the last minute, and even that was a rushed affair.
Wang Xinyu and Zhang Zhizhen clinched their spot in Friday’s final with victory over Dutch duo Demi Schuurs and Wesley Koolhof, and could now win their country’s first gold in the event.
But if things had gone to plan, neither would have been in the French capital to take part in the opening round, let alone the final against Siniakova Katerina and Machac Thomas of the Czech Republic.
Thrown together because Zheng Qinwen decided to withdraw to focus on her women’s singles, Wang said she did not even have a pair of shoes for their first game, while both she and Zhang said they had been looking for flights home after seeing how badly the heat was taking its toll on players.
“I was looking at flight tickets in the afternoon and almost booked it,” Wang said. “Because it’s a bit expensive, I wanted to wait and check again.”
And it was only because China’s initial first-round opponents, Croatia’s Mate Pavic and Donna Vekic, pulled out and were placed by lower-ranked Brazil pair Stefani Luisa and Thiago Seyboth Wild that Zhang and Wang were able to play together at all.
Despite Wang Xinyu (left) and Zhang Zhizhen (right) being a last-minute pairing, they are guaranteed a medal in Paris. Photo: Xinhua
“You can’t imagine what I went through in this hour,” Zhang said. “I experienced a change of opponents and teammates.”
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With seemingly no partner available, the team turned to Wang, who was not prepared in any way to play a match.
“I was actually just preparing for treatment and had just applied the massage lotion,” she said. “The staff called me and asked me where I was and if I had a racquet.
“I happened to have a racquet and brought clothes, but no shoes. I found a pair of hard court shoes and came.”
Despite a rough start, which included losing the first set 6-3, the pair rallied to advance to the quarter-final.
“In terms of ability, I think both of us have the advantage,” Wang said. “Although the game was very close in the end, I think I was enjoying the game more.
“It was the first time we officially worked together, and we didn’t know what the other person was thinking. During the game today [semi-final], we kept asking each other about their feelings and opinions, including how to adjust their positions.”
Zhang added: “At the beginning, we didn’t know exactly how to score, but later we understood what kind of ball was at a disadvantage, and then how to turn the disadvantage into an advantage.”
差一点得金牌，可惜了。这对临时搭配的选手，最后得了奥运网球混双银牌！！ 太神奇了
大陆记者没有一个人能想到！
Wang Xinyu and Zhang Zhizhen
Paris Olympics: missing shoes and costly flights led China tennis pair to gold medal shot
- Wang Xinyu and Zhang Zhizhen are playing in the mixed doubles final at Roland Garros, but they weren’t even supposed to be partners
Ira Gorawara
+ FOLLOW
Published: 2:30pm, 2 Aug 2024
Why you can trust SCMP
Listen to this article
The mixed doubles pairing with a shot at winning a historic tennis gold medal for China at the Paris Olympics was only formed at the last minute, and even that was a rushed affair.
Wang Xinyu and Zhang Zhizhen clinched their spot in Friday’s final with victory over Dutch duo Demi Schuurs and Wesley Koolhof, and could now win their country’s first gold in the event.
But if things had gone to plan, neither would have been in the French capital to take part in the opening round, let alone the final against Siniakova Katerina and Machac Thomas of the Czech Republic.
Thrown together because Zheng Qinwen decided to withdraw to focus on her women’s singles, Wang said she did not even have a pair of shoes for their first game, while both she and Zhang said they had been looking for flights home after seeing how badly the heat was taking its toll on players.
“I was looking at flight tickets in the afternoon and almost booked it,” Wang said. “Because it’s a bit expensive, I wanted to wait and check again.”
And it was only because China’s initial first-round opponents, Croatia’s Mate Pavic and Donna Vekic, pulled out and were placed by lower-ranked Brazil pair Stefani Luisa and Thiago Seyboth Wild that Zhang and Wang were able to play together at all.
Despite Wang Xinyu (left) and Zhang Zhizhen (right) being a last-minute pairing, they are guaranteed a medal in Paris. Photo: Xinhua
“You can’t imagine what I went through in this hour,” Zhang said. “I experienced a change of opponents and teammates.”
Every Saturday
Hong Kong Update Newsletter
Our weekly round-up of the best news, stories and opinion from Hong Kong.
By submitting, you consent to receiving marketing emails from SCMP. If you don't want these, tick here
GET OUR NEWSLETTER
By registering, you agree to ourT&CandPrivacy Policy
With seemingly no partner available, the team turned to Wang, who was not prepared in any way to play a match.
“I was actually just preparing for treatment and had just applied the massage lotion,” she said. “The staff called me and asked me where I was and if I had a racquet.
“I happened to have a racquet and brought clothes, but no shoes. I found a pair of hard court shoes and came.”
Despite a rough start, which included losing the first set 6-3, the pair rallied to advance to the quarter-final.
“In terms of ability, I think both of us have the advantage,” Wang said. “Although the game was very close in the end, I think I was enjoying the game more.
“It was the first time we officially worked together, and we didn’t know what the other person was thinking. During the game today [semi-final], we kept asking each other about their feelings and opinions, including how to adjust their positions.”
Zhang added: “At the beginning, we didn’t know exactly how to score, but later we understood what kind of ball was at a disadvantage, and then how to turn the disadvantage into an advantage.”
哪里有他们最后决赛的视频，太搞笑了。
CBC刚才实况转播，现在有可能在REPLAY中找到。
Wang Xinyu 在女子网球公开赛里还是活跃的两人完全是没名气的小白，奥运 高手都懒得研究搭理的这类人，对他们来说输是正常的，赢了就是赚了。 没有压力，想怎么打就怎么打，创造了奇迹
在规则允许下，在一定时限范围内是可以退出或重组的
