Olympics | China power into tennis mixed doubles final for 1st time in history

Wang Xinyu (L)/Zhang Zhizhen of China celebrate after the mixed doubles semi-final match of tennis between Wang Xinyu/Zhang Zhizhen of China and Demi Schuurs/Wesley Koolhof of the Netherlands at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, on Aug. 1, 2024. (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

PARIS, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese pair Wang Xinyu and Zhang Zhizhen made history after coming from behind to beat Demi Schuurs and Wesley Koolhof of the Netherlands to reach the Paris Olympics tennis mixed doubles final on Thursday.

The Netherlands pair collected the first set 6-2 in 37 minutes, while Wang and Zhang took back the second set 6-4. In the deciding set, China took the tie-breaker and scored 10 points first against their opponents' four.

It is also the first time for Wang to team up with Zhang, whose original teammate was Zheng Qinwen, while the latter, who reached the women's singles final on Thursday, had to quit the mixed doubles to concentrate on the singles.

"We can't reach a tacit understanding in the first week as a team, and it's impossible for her to know where I'll wield my racquet when she sees my serve. We can only keep adapting to the opponents and hit the ball in the way we want," said Zhang. "But the great thing is that we do adapt faster and faster."

That is exactly how the Chinese pair reacted to their Netherlands' rivals on Thursday.

"They didn't give us much time to get used to their rhythm, nailing down the first set in around half an hour, while we were still looking for opportunities and exploring ways to break their defense," recalled Zhang.

"In the quarterfinals, we took much more time to scramble the initiative, but today we quickly found the key to counter the opponents in the second set," Zhang noted.

The Chinese pair, though they teamed up only three days ago, appeared to be enjoying the matches. They high-fived each other when they scored, smiled and encouraged themselves when they lost, and Zhang even bounced to music during breaks.

"I usually adjust myself to a relatively relaxed state in matches," said Wang. "It's easy to miss key opportunities, if you only think about gains and losses." And her relaxation also helped Zhang to reach a calmer state of mind on court.

"Sometimes, I would get a little bit anxious when I encounter some unexpected situation, but every time I see Xinyu with her calm face, I feel free of worries," Zhang added.

On the night before the match, while the Chinese duo were taking interviews in the mixed zone, Zhang's former partner for the men's doubles, Tomas Machac, happened to pass by with his mixed doubles' teammate. "The gold medal is mine," Machac said while tapping on Zhang's shoulders.

And after the interviews, Zhang walked over to Machac and replied with a smile, "I think the color silver suits you better."

Although Zhang reacted to the friendly provocation with confidence, he does not tend to put too much pressure on themselves.

"I don't want the stress to disrupt our rhythm. As of now, I don't think we need to change much considering our achievements in the mixed doubles. We'll just enjoy the final," he noted.

Earlier on Thursday, Zheng upset top seed Iga Swiatek 6-2, 7-5 in a historic win to book her place in the gold medal match in the women's singles. 

Wang Xinyu (R)/Zhang Zhizhen of China react during the mixed doubles semi-final match of tennis between Wang Xinyu/Zhang Zhizhen of China and Demi Schuurs/Wesley Koolhof of the Netherlands at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, on Aug. 1, 2024. (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

Wang Xinyu (R)/Zhang Zhizhen of China react during the mixed doubles semi-final match of tennis between Wang Xinyu/Zhang Zhizhen of China and Demi Schuurs/Wesley Koolhof of the Netherlands at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, on Aug. 1, 2024. (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

Wang Xinyu (R)/Zhang Zhizhen of China celebrate during the mixed doubles semi-final match of tennis between Wang Xinyu/Zhang Zhizhen of China and Demi Schuurs/Wesley Koolhof of the Netherlands at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, on Aug. 1, 2024. (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

Wang Xinyu (L)/Zhang Zhizhen of China celebrate after the mixed doubles semi-final match of tennis between Wang Xinyu/Zhang Zhizhen of China and Demi Schuurs/Wesley Koolhof of the Netherlands at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, on Aug. 1, 2024. (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)