Pigossi seals Paris 2024 spot after ‘one of the best weeks of my life’
Brazilian Laura Pigossi claimed both singles and doubles gold medals at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games to earn her place at the Paris 2024 Olympic Tennis Event.
The world No. 125 defeated Argentine Maria Lourdes Carle 6-2 6-3 in the women’s singles final and teamed with Luisa Stefani, whom she partnered to win Brazil’s first ever Olympic tennis medal in winning bronze at Tokyo 2020, to win gold in the women’s doubles event.
"It has been one of the best weeks of my life,” said Pigossi. “I came here with a mission: to get two gold medals for Brazil. And also a place at Paris 2024, so this week was perfect, with a lot of improvement and a lot of dedication.
"All this was worth it,” she added. “I have known [Maria] for a long time and I knew the way I had to play her [in the final].
Pigossi, who entered the event on a three-match losing streak at WTA level following a second-round defeat in Beijing before first round losses in Seoul and Monastir, will be joined by Lourdes Carle at next August’s Olympic Games.
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Singles runners-up at the Pan American Games are also guaranteed a place at Paris 2024, so long as both players maintain their places in the world’s Top 400 at the time of the ranking cut-off for the event on 10 June.
"The week was super positive,” reflected the Argentine world No. 146. “I qualified for Paris 2024, which was the big goal. The final seemed like 'the icing on the cake'. I worked hard throughout the year, I'm having many more good games than bad, so I'm going for the right path.”
The Olympic women’s and men’s singles events at Paris 2024 will feature a 64-draw, with four of those places in each event up for grabs via continental qualification places.
Three of those places have already been filled for the women’s singles event – by Zheng Qinwen (Asian Games winner), and now Pigossi (Pan American Games winner) and Carle (Pan American Games runner-up).
The final continental qualification place will go to the winner of the African Games, taking place in Ghana on 8-23 March 2024.