Since competing in their first Summer Olympics in 1948, Puerto Rico had never won an Olympic gold medal. Women’s tennis player Monica Puig changed that Saturday night.
Puig, ranked 38th in the WTA rankings, defeated Germany’s Angelique Kerber in three sets, 6-5, 4-6, 6-1, in the women’s singles gold medal match. Puig, who has won one WTA tournament in her professional career (in 2014), is now an Olympic gold medalist. She is also Puerto Rico’s first female Olympic medalist in any sport.
WATCH: Puig tears up after winning Puerto Rico’s first-ever gold medal
As for Kerber, her silver medal is Germany’s first medal in women’s singles since Steffi Graf took silver in Barcelona in 1992.
After playing a tight match through the first two sets it was Puig who gained separation in the decisive set, breaking Kerber twice and winning the first five games. Kerber would rebound to move the score to 5-1, but Puig was able to put her away in a lengthy seventh game.
