Fans were ecstatic after Zheng Qinwen made history on Saturday after becoming the first Asian player to win the women's singles tennis gold medal at the Olympics.
At Roland Garros, Zheng defeated Donna Vekic of Croatia 6-2, 6-3 to seize the women's singles gold.
It is also China's second Olympic tennis gold. The last time China saw gold in an Olympic tennis event was in Athens 2004, when Li Ting and Sun Tiantian secured the country's first-ever Olympic tennis title after they won the women's doubles.
The 21-year-old Zheng rallied past Germany's veteran Angelique Kerber and upset world No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland in a row to reach the final.
"To be honest, I think her overall condition was very good today compared to her opponent. I felt Zheng was very calm. She was silent, but you could feel she was very confident about winning this match. We all felt that she would win the gold medal. When she actually won, we were so excited and almost cried," said one Chinese fan.
"She has made history for Chinese tennis. Zheng Qinwen, the champion!" said another fan.
"I think Chinese female athletes have really improved a lot. Their success in matches was more about technique, but now we see more of strength from Zheng Qinwen," said another fan.
Chinese tennis players have embraced a harvest at the Paris Olympics, as Wang Xinyu and Zhang Zhizhen grabbed a mixed doubles silver on Friday, the country's best result in this event.
Chinese fans overjoyed as Zheng Qinwen clinches historic Olympic tennis gold
Chinese fans overjoyed as Zheng Qinwen clinches historic Olympic tennis gold
Chinese fans overjoyed as Zheng Qinwen clinches historic Olympic tennis gold
Chinese fans overjoyed as Zheng Qinwen clinches historic Olympic tennis gold
Travelers to Lebanon are seeking a quick and secure way out of the country, as Israel ramps up its attacks on Hezbollah. Governments worldwide have also facilitated evacuations, encouraging their citizens to leave before the situation worsens.
Annika finally made it to the airport in Beirut. She was supposed to leave next week, but the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah militants shortened her stay. Now, the only thing on her mind is getting back home.
"It's horrible. And you have drones flying over your house and things like that. I didn't feel afraid, but I also have to leave in the future for work, and I don't know, it's so insecure. Maybe I don't want to stay here for another few weeks," said Annika, a traveler leaving Lebanon.
Although everything seemed calm and far away for the first few days, the scene changed quickly in Beirut. Israeli airstrikes intensified, causing many to flee as fast as they could.
"I'm very worried because you don't know what can happen from day to day. You're living like second to second. You don't know what's going to happen. And it's very, very stressful. And this has to come to an end, you know? So, it's time. It's time to go," said Tania, another traveler leaving Lebanon.
The fighting, which has escalated over the past few weeks, has forced the evacuation of thousands of tourists and people with dual citizenship, leaving many scrambling to the airport to secure any available flight in an atmosphere of ongoing strikes. Governments have stepped in to assist with these evacuations, using various channels to reach those who need help.
"We have been using social media a lot to get the message out. [For] our foreign minister, prime minister, and the embassy here in Lebanon, we have been putting out on Twitter, on Facebook, and on Instagram the message that the crisis is here, you need to leave now as soon as possible. And still some don't get the message. But we're getting there, because we've got a good pick-up today, we're getting close to 500 people out on two assisted departures to Cyprus today. And we'll probably continue that for a few days," said Andrew Barnes, Australian ambassador to Lebanon.
The Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, and Australia have all sent government representatives to Beirut to help people who want to leave or need support. Though the first couple of days were chaotic, as many were fleeing, the evacuation now seems to be proceeding steadily. Although Beirut and its airport are still relatively safe, governments urge their citizens to leave before things worsen.
"We've been dealing with this crisis for a while now, and our government has been urging Australians in Lebanon to return home because we were fearful that the situation could escalate. Now it has escalated badly and we are urging all Australians to come to the airport and get on a flight. There are still flights going, the airports still open. They need to leave now because we don't know how the crisis might escalate," Barnes said.
Since Sept. 23, the Israeli army has intensified its airstrikes against Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, causing great civilian casualties and forcing residents in many areas to leave their homes. It has also launched what it describes as a "limited" ground operation in Lebanon.
Countries facilitate citizens' evacuation from Lebanon as fighting intensifies
