Poland's Iga Swiatek (23) earned the consolation of an Olympic bronze medal as she outclassed Slovakia's Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (29) 6-2 6-1 at Roland Garros on Friday.
By doing so she became the first Polish player to win an Olympic medal in tennis.
The five-time Grand Slam champion had been a strong favourite for gold but suffered a shock semi-final defeat by China's Zheng Qinwen on Thursday.
The final between Zheng and Croatia's Donna Vekic takes place on Saturday.