"I thought she was going to die" - Donna Vekic on losing focus against Bianca Andreescu during their Olympic showdown

The tennis event at the 2024 Olympic Games kicked off amid some controversy during the second round match between Bianca Andreescu and Donna Vekic, as the match was interrupted after the Canadian required medical attention during the encounter.

Vekic prevailed 6-3 6-4 in the Olympic encounter, but it was not without a few intense moments. After losing the opening set and going down early in the second, Andreescu hit herself with her racket, striking her left thumb. This caused the 2019 US Open champion to let out a primal scream, before being tended to by a medics during a 10-minute medical time-out.

After taking the first set and being up 2-0 in the second, the Croatian would go on to lose four of the next five games following the medical timeout. Although Andreescu held a 4-3 lead, Vekic would regain her composure and secure consecutive breaks to even out the match, before closing it out in straight sets.

"In the first moment, I really thought she was going to retire," said Vekic in an interview with the Croatian outlet Sportske Novosti. "She let out such a scream that I thought she was going to die, but she continued to play normally. I actually lost my concentration after that, which should not have happened to me.
"Then she started to slice more, which normally doesn't suit me. It took me a few games to adjust. And if I had lost that second set, I believe I would have returned to my normal game. Well, I'll be smarter the next time."

Vekic's next match will be a much tougher test, as she will face reigning US Open champion Coco Gauff for a spot in the quarterfinals.