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Little known Puerto Rican Monica Puig has created history at the Rio Olympics, upsetting world No.2 and reigning Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber to become the first woman from her country to win an Olympic Gold Medal.
The 22-year-old entered the Gold Medal match as the rank outsider despite scoring wins over the likes of Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, French Open champion Garbine Muguruza and dual Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova en route.
Kerber, on the other hand, enjoyed victories over Eugenie Bouchard, Samantha Stosur, Johanna Konta and Madison Keys and was favoured on the back of her big game experience, which had seen her win the Australian Open earlier this year as well as reach the final at Wimbledon last month.
True to form, the German broke for a 1-0 lead in the opening game of the match, only to be broken right back in the next game for 1-all. The set would remain on serve until Puig scored a break late to take the opening set 6-4.
But in typical Kerber fashion, the 28-year-old would hit back to start the second set, breaking in the first game and then having the chance to go 5-3 up before Puig broke back for 4-all.
At this stage, Puig was just two games away from an improbable Gold Medal, however Kerber would break in the next game and then held to take the second set 6-4 and level the match at one-set all.
Undeterred by the pressure of a nation on her shoulders, Puig would hold to start the final set and then break for a 2-0 lead. A further break of Kerber’s serve would then see her shoot to a 5-0 lead, leaving the German to serve to stay in the match.
The Puerto Rican then earned a Gold Medal point against serve, but Kerber would save it, and then hold to force the world No.34 to serve it out.
What ensued was one of the most tensest games of the match, let alone the set.
Kerber earned three break points but Puig would save them all to force deuce. Later, on one of several more break points the German smashed a close, easy volley into the net which, if she had been more careful, would’ve seen her break back for 2-5.
Shortly after, on Puig’s fourth Gold Medal point Kerber would send a forehand wide and the most improbable Gold Medal in Olympic tennis history was won.
Puig becomes the first Puerto Rican woman to win an Olympic Gold Medal, let alone an Olympic Medal (all of the country’s previous medallists were won by men), and becomes the lowest-ranked woman to do so.
This left Kerber to settle for silver.
Earlier, Petra Kvitova won the Bronze Medal by defeating Madison Keys in the third-place playoff.
Meanwhile, the men’s Gold Medal match will be decided by Juan Martin del Potro and Andy Murray after both posted contrasting victories in their semi-final matches.
Del Potro continued his dream run by coming from a set down to edge out 2008 Gold Medallist Rafael Nadal in three sets, emerging victorious in a final set tiebreak to deny the Spaniard a shot at a second Olympic Gold Medal in singles.
The Argentine, who won the Bronze Medal in London four years ago, will now go for a bigger prize when he faces defending Gold Medallist Murray in Monday morning’s (AEST) decider.
Nadal had, on Friday, won the doubles tournament with partner Marc Lopez, giving him a second Olympic Gold Medal overall adding to the singles he won in Beijing eight years ago, when he defeated Fernando Gonzalez in the final.
Murray, on the other hand, defeated Japan’s Kei Nishikori to not only return to the Olympic Gold Medal match, but also guarantee himself a third medal and become the most successful member of tennis’ “Big Four”, Olympics-wise.
Apart from winning the Gold Medal at home in 2012, he also won the Silver Medal in mixed doubles with Laura Robson, the pair losing to the Belarusian duo of Max Mirnyi and Victoria Azarenka.
The Scot will again start as the red hot favourite to win his second singles Gold Medal and become the first man or woman in Olympic history to win it back-to-back, but if del Potro’s stunning run is anything to go by, then it will not come easy.
Nadal and Nishikori will now be left to fight it out for the Bronze Medal.
Women’s Podium
Gold Medal: Monica Puig (PUR)
Silver Medal: Angelique Kerber (GER)
Bronze Medal: Petra Kvitova (CZE)
Men’s Gold Medal match
Juan Martin del Potro (ARG) vs Andy Murray (GBR)
Men’s Bronze Medal match
Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs Kei Nishikori (JPN)
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