In a remarkable display of resilience, Zheng Qinwen staged another impressive comeback at the US Open, toppling six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek with a 7-5, 6-3 victory to secure her spot in the quarter-finals. Swiatek seemed poised for an easy win after surging to a 5-0 lead in the first set, but Zheng dramatically shifted the dynamics of the match, winning seven consecutive games to clinch the set. She sustained her momentum through the second set, securing what stands as one of the most significant victories of her career.
The win is particularly noteworthy as Zheng had performed a similar comeback against Madison Keys in the prior round, where Keys held a 5-0 lead in the deciding set before Zheng captured seven straight games. Entering the tournament, Zheng was grappling with consistency issues, a result of an elbow injury and subsequent surgery that had caused her ranking to plummet to No. 160 earlier in the year. She was compelled to start her US Open journey through the qualifying rounds.
The 23-year-old athlete, who claimed Olympic gold in Paris and made it to the 2024 Australian Open final, has now notched up seven victories in New York, reasserting herself as a formidable contender. In the upcoming quarter-finals, Zheng is set to face off against second seed Elena Rybakina. Rybakina secured her quarter-final berth with a decisive 6-1, 6-4 win over two-time US Open champion Naomi Osaka.
Rybakina’s performance was characterized by powerful and consistent tennis, as she fired 29 winners in a swift 66-minute match. Conversely, Osaka struggled with her serve and was hampered by Achilles pain during the match. Meanwhile, fifth seed Mirra Andreeva also advanced to the US Open quarter-finals for her first time by overcoming Austria’s Anastasia Potapova with a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 victory.