Vekic won 6-3 6-4 in the Olympic encounter, but it wasn’t without some intense moments. After losing the opening set and going down early in the second, Andreescu hit herself with her racket, hitting her left thumb. It caused the 2019 US Open champion to let out a primal scream before being tended to by a medic during a 10-minute medical timeout.

Vekic admits he lost concentration after the incident

After winning the first set and leading 2-0 in the second, the Croatian would lose four of the next five games after the medical timeout. Although Andreescu held a 4-3 lead, Vekic would regain her composure and secure consecutive breaks to level the match, before deciding it in straight sets.

“At first I really thought she was going to retire,” Vekic said in an interview with Croatian sports magazine Sportske Novosti. “She screamed so loudly that I thought she was going to die, but she just kept playing. I actually lost my concentration after that, which shouldn’t have happened to me.
“Then she started slicing more, which is not something I normally do. It took me a few games to get used to it. And if I had lost that second set, I think I would have played my normal game again. Well, I’ll be smarter next time.”

Vekic’s next match will be an even tougher test, as she takes on reigning US Open champion Coco Gauff for a spot in the quarterfinals.