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Zheng Qinwen Stuns Swiatek, Reaches US Open Quarter-Finals
Confirmed
In Short: Zheng Qinwen overcame a 5-0 deficit to defeat Iga Swiatek and advance to the US Open quarter-finals.
Zheng Qinwen stunned former champion Iga Swiatek with a remarkable comeback, securing a 7-5, 6-3 victory in the US Open fourth round. The second set was on serve until the seventh game, when Zheng crushed a powerful backhand return winner to secure a crucial break, and she broke again two games later to complete the win.
Reflecting on her performance, Zheng said, 'The more matches I play, the more rhythm I have on court.' This victory marks her best performance at the US Open, matching her previous best and setting up a quarter-final against second seed Elena Rybakina.
Zheng's win is part of a trend of upsets at the US Open this year. Earlier in the tournament, Poland's Maja Chwalinska, who began the French Open at 114th in the world, lost to Russian teenager Andreeva in the final at Roland Garros. Zheng, the reigning Olympic champion and former world number four, dropped outside the world's top 100 earlier this year while struggling to regain her best form following elbow surgery in July 2025.
In the match, Zheng was 5-0 down in the opening set against Swiatek but won 13 of the next 16 games on Arthur Ashe Stadium. Swiatek, 25, a fourth-round exit is a disappointing end to her Grand Slam season, with a quarter-final appearance at the Australian Open her best result. She was beaten in round four of the French Open, while the defence of her Wimbledon title ended in the third round.
Zheng's only win in eight previous meetings against Swiatek was in the semi-finals of the 2024 Olympics on her way to singles gold in Paris. The most recent qualifier to reach this stage of the women's draw at the US Open was Great Britain's Emma Raducanu, who went on to win the title in 2021. Zheng's performance has been so impressive that she refused to let it go as she pulled off one of the best wins of her career, reaching the quarter-finals of the US Open.
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What's still developing
- Reflecting on losing the first set to Zheng, Swiatek said she simply missed too many shots after going 5-0 up.
- The most important takeaway from the US Open is simple: do not, by any means, lead 5-0 against Zheng Qinwen.
- On Friday, the former Australian Open champion Madison Keys learned this lesson the hard way as she led Zheng 5-0 in the final set of an intense tussle before Zheng, the Olympic gold medallist, rolled through seven consecutive games to win the match.
- Somehow, two days later, Zheng repeated the trick in her very next set against a greater opponent.