Olympic Women's Tennis 2016: Final Schedule After Semifinal Results
Four players from four different nations started Friday still in contention for the gold medal in women's singles tennis. It's a group that included former major champions Angelique Kerber and Petra Kvitova as well as rising stars Madison Keys and Monica Puig.
The tournament has taken on a wide-open feel ever since top-seeded Serena Williams got knocked out in the third round by Elina Svitolina. The American was the reigning champion in the event after a dominant showing in London four years ago.
Now it's almost time to crown a new gold medalist. Let's check out all of the important information for the remaining rounds, which will get updated through the end of Friday's play. That's followed by a recap of the semifinal action from the Olympic Tennis Center.
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Women's Singles Schedule
| Semifinals | Petra Kvitova (CZE) vs. Monica Puig (PUR) | Puig: 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 |
| Semifinals | Angelique Kerber (GER) vs. Madison Keys (USA) | 3 p.m. (estimated) |
| Bronze | Petra Kvitova (CZE) vs. Madison Keys (USA) | Saturday, 12 p.m. |
| Gold | Monica Puig (PUR) vs. Angelique Kerber | Saturday, 3 p.m. |
(11) Petra Kvitova vs. Monica Puig
Puig started the tournament as an afterthought in the top half of a draw that also included the Williams sisters, Kvitova, Garbine Muguruza and Roberta Vinci. Now she's two sets away from an Olympic gold medal.
The Puerto Rican survived a see-saw battle with Kvitova to reach the final by showing nerves of steel deep in the third set. Being able to step to the service line against a player with the Czech star's power and close it out was extremely impressive.
The WTA noted the victory ensures she'll become the first athlete from her native country to capture an Olympic medal, regardless of the final result:
It was an even match throughout, as the numbers illustrate. Both players won 44 percent of points on the return and broke their opponent five times. The biggest difference was the tendency for Puig to play a little safer against the more powerful Kvitova.
In turn, the Czech favorite finished the match with 40 unforced errors and seven double faults compared to 24 unforced and three double faults for the breakthrough sensation. Yes, Kvitova also had more aces and winners, but it came at a high cost.
Puig advances to face Kerber, who she holds an 0-2 record against.
Angelique Kerber vs. Madison Keys
The world's No. 2 ranked women's tennis player, Germany's Angelique Kerber, defeated the up and coming Madison Keys of the United States in straight sets 6-3, 7-5.
These two players were evenly matched in terms of their success rates on first and second services, but what put Kerber over the top was Keys' mistakes.
In the match that took just under 1:30, Keys committed 41 unforced errors compared to Kerber's eight. The American even controlled the early stages of the match with 14 winners compared to Kerber's one during the first set, but she couldn't convert any of her 10 break-point opportunities.
Had she been able to convert just a few, it could have been a very different match.
After losing the first set by three games, Keys was down 5-4 in the second set and down 0-40 in the 10th game. She was able to stave off four match points and ensure an extra set would be played.
But Kerber's powerful left-handed shot could not be stopped by Keys as the German swept the final two games to compete for the gold medal.
A win on Saturday would make her the first German to win Olympic gold in women's singles since Steffi Graf during the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul.
All match statistics courtesy of the Olympics' official site.
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