No retirement...just yet: Angelique Kerber prolongs career as Donna Vekic ends run of emotional Bianca Andreescu at Olympic Games
WTA
Angelique Kerber will end her career after the 2024 Paris Olympic Games but is in the Danielle Collins playbook so far of using it as a catalyst. The former World No.1 saw off Jaqueline Cristian to reach the Last 16 in Paris and continues to prolong her career after giving up months after her comeback.
Kerber will face Leylah Fernandez in the Last 16 who herself has had a superb tournament thus far. She wiped aside Cristina Bucsa this afternoon and so a top tie is now set. The shining light of German tennis, Kerber won through 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.
She was buoyed also by incredible fan support as fans were chanting her name. A popular figure, the intrigue now will be whether Kerber will change her mind on retirement. Especially if she continues to pull out vintage tennis. A few runs aside, she hasn't managed that thus far in her comeback.
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Unlike others, it hasn't been sustained albeit Wozniacki or Osaka either have not hit top gear as of yet so perhaps Kerber is retiring with the notion that she can't hit those heights regularly anymore. But certainly this week in defeating Osaka and now Cristian, a player on the rise it is very much one last stand to remember.
The same can't be said for Bianca Andreescu who was in tears during her defeat to Donna Vekic. The Canadian could not join Fernandez in the next round. She lost 6-3, 6-4 to the recent Wimbledon semi-finalist.
Andreescu had a fall during a point in the Vekic serve during the second set and seemed to hit her left hand. She was left crying on the bench during changeovers and was defeated from there. The 24-year-old has had such struggles with injuries and was really relishing representing her country for the first time.
But it turned into a bit of a nightmare and one that Vekic took advantage of to rampant effect to move through to the Last 16. Next for the Croat will be Coco Gauff likely or Maria Lourdes Carle who face off shortly.
Also through include Wang Xiyu who saw off Diana Shnaider, the other Chinese player with the same name sake couldn't defeat Barbora Krejcikova. But Qinwen Zheng added to the Chinese contingent. Jasmine Paolini also sped through this morning.
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
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