In the mixed doubles final of the Paris Olympics tennis that ended in the early morning of August 3, Beijing time, the Chinese pair Wang Xinyu/Zhang Zhizhen lost 1-2 to the Czech powerhouse Siniakova/Mahac, and won the silver medal, with a score of 2-6, 7-5, 8-10 in three sets.

【World Ranking】

Wang Xinyu, ranked 34th in the world in doubles, won last year's French Open women's doubles title and is also the highest-ranked female player in China. Zhang Zhizhen is ranked 47th in the world in doubles, and Zhang Zhizhen is the highest-ranked male player in China regardless of singles and doubles.

Their opponents, Siniakova, ranked 50th in the world in doubles, are both doubles opponents and are Zhang's usual men's doubles partner at all four Grand Slams, and the pair reached the quarterfinals of this year's Australian Open. Siniakova is ranked No. 2 in the world in women's doubles, has won the Grand Slam women's doubles title 9 times, and has completed the doubles "Golden Slam".

【Confrontation Situation】

Since Wang Xinyu temporarily replaced Zheng Qinwen and partnered Zhang Zhizhen, the two pairs have never played each other in a Grand Slam before. However, in the first round of this Olympic Games, Zhang Zhizhen lost to Mahachi in the men's singles.

【Contest Review】

In the first set, both sides held serve in the first four games. But in the 5th game, Zhang Zhizhen's serve was the first to be broken. In the 7th game, Wang Xinyu's service game was broken again with a double fault, falling behind 2-5. With Siniakova holding serve in the eighth game, the Czechs won the first set 6-2. In the first set, the Chinese pair made as many as 13 unforced errors, which directly led to a quick defeat.

In the second set, the Chinese pair improved their form, Zhang Zhizhen's serve was very strong, and both sides held serve in the first 11 games. In the crucial 12th game, Wang Xinyu/Zhang Zhizhen completed the key break and pulled back a set 7-5.

According to the rules, the Olympic mixed doubles tiebreaker will be decided by a tie-break. In the tie-break, the Chinese pair took a 3-0 lead at the beginning of the game, and the Czech pair then overtook 5-4, and the score between the two sides was very close after that. In the end, the Chinese team lost 8-10.

【Significance of Results】

This is the first time that the Chinese delegation has participated in the mixed doubles tennis event at the Olympic Games. Wang Xinyu and Zhang Zhizhen not only achieved the best record (runner-up) of the Chinese team in this event, but also the first Olympic mixed doubles medal in China's history.