Qinwen Zheng secured her place in the US Open quarter-finals with a remarkable victory over Iga Swiatek, marking her second consecutive epic comeback at this year’s tournament.
Just two days after overturning a 5-0 third-set deficit against Madison Keys, Zheng produced another stunning fightback at Arthur Ashe Stadium. She recovered from 5-0 down in the opening set to win 7-5, 6-3, sending the 2022 champion into tears as she left the court in shock.
The former world No. 4, who entered the draw via qualifying after a prolonged elbow injury, now advances to potentially face either Naomi Osaka or Elena Rybakina in the last eight.
“I started the match not so well but I found my rhythm,” Zheng said. “It has been a long, long time since I played on a centre court and I really appreciate being here on Arthur Ashe Stadium.”
She added, “I even forgot the score at 4-5 in the first set, which showed I was focused. To come back from 0-5 is not lucky, that’s all I can say.”
Sky Sports Tennis’s Jonathan Overend described the win as “one of the great comebacks,” noting Zheng’s ability to complete victory against Swiatek for only the second time in her career.
Swiatek looked completely broken. Is she mentally struggling or is Zheng just untouchable right now?
Absolutely mental to lose 5-0 and then win. What a champion’s heart Zheng shows.