By Chris Oddo | Saturday August 13, 2016
Monica Puig became the first player from Puerto Rico to ever win a Gold medal by shocking Angelique Kerber on Saturday in Rio.
Photo Source: AP
Puerto Rico’s Monica Puig completed an inspirational run to Olympic Gold with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 win over World No.2 Angelique Kerber to become the first athlete from Puerto Rico to ever win a Gold medal for the country.
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Puig, who had already become the first tennis player from Puerto Rico to medal when she defeated Petra Kvitova to reach the Gold medal match on Friday, is also the lowest ranked woman to ever win an Olympic Gold.
Eight athletes has previously won medals at the Olympics for Puerto Rico, but none of them were women and none of them had won Gold.
Puig battled past Kerber with a resolute, aggressive effort, rebounding after dropping the middle set to race out to a 5-0 lead in the decider. Though Kerber mounted a late surge, Puig calmly finished the job, completing the most improbable women’s singles title run in Olympic history.
“I’m in complete disbelief, complete shock,” she said as she held the tears back after the match. “I honestly don’t really know what to say.”
Puig, 22, entered this week’s Olympic draw with only one career title to her name. It was unthinkable that she could win the title, let alone medal, but after she routed No. 4-seeded Garbine Muguruza to reach the quarterfinals, the belief only grew.
She eased past Germany’s Laura Siegemund in the quarterfinals before clinching a medal with an impressive victory over two-time major champion Petra Kvitova in the semifinals.
In today’s final she was the better player from start to finish, and the more stoic and focused one as well.
“She wasn’t going to give it to me,” Puig said. “I had to go out there and take it.”
Puig, who has always actively supported her native Puerto Rico by using the hashtag #PicaPower on Twitter, says this win was for the people—not just for her. “I just want to tell them that this is for them,” she said. “This is definitely for them. They are going through some tough times right now.” Puerto Rico has been going through a massive debt crisis, and many people have been suffering in her homeland.
“They needed this and I needed this. I think I united a nation, and I just love where I come from.”
Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic took the Bronze medal on Saturday, defeating American Madison Keys to claim her first Olympic medal and the countries’ first women’s singles medal in 20 years.
Kerber’s Silver represents Germany’s first medal in women’s singles since Steffi Graf won Gold in 1992.