TENNIS: Olympic champion Zheng's return to Paris ends in tame defeat

Maja Chwalinska produced a commanding performance to eliminate Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in straight sets at Roland Garros. Zheng’s injury struggles resurfaced as she exited the French Open in the opening round for the first time.

Shrivathsa Sridhar/Reuters

May 25, 2026

Tennis - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - May 7, 2026 China's Qinwen Zheng in action during her second round match against Spain's Cristina Bucsa

Claudia Greco/Reuters

Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen's return to the venue of her most famous triumph ended with a 6-4 6-0 humbling by Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska in the French Open first round on Monday.

China's Zheng has largely struggled to replicate the form that carried her to the gold medal at the Paris Games two years ago with a chronic right elbow injury stalling her progress and forcing her to undergo surgery last summer.

The 23-year-old, who made the Roland Garros quarter-finals last year, took treatment for a foot problem midway through the second set before her first defeat in the opening round of the French Open.

World number 114 Chwalinska, who came through three rounds of qualifying and dished out two bagels along the way, showed no mercy and wrapped up the win to book a clash with either Tatjana Maria or 23rd seed Elise Mertens in the second round.

-Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in ParisEditing by Ros Russell/Reuters