New York: China’s Zheng Qinwen produced another remarkable comeback at the US Open, recovering from 5-0 down in the opening set to defeat former champion Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-3 and reach the quarter-finals.
The reigning Olympic champion, who has struggled for form since undergoing elbow surgery in July 2025 and dropped outside the world’s top 100 earlier this year, has now won seven consecutive matches in New York after coming through three rounds of qualifying.
Zheng had also trailed Madison Keys 5-0 in the deciding set of their third-round clash before winning seven straight games to seal victory.
Against eighth-seeded Swiatek, Zheng again turned the match around, winning 13 of the next 16 games. She secured the decisive break in the second set with a powerful backhand return winner before breaking again two games later to complete the victory.
The 23-year-old will face either Naomi Osaka or Elena Rybakina in the quarter-finals and is set to return to the brink of the world’s top 50.
“The more matches I play, the more rhythm I have on court,” Zheng said.
“People have asked me if I’m tired and when I arrived I was not tired at all. I felt really pumped for my match, trying to reach better levels here and enjoy this fantastic stadium.”
Elsewhere, French Open champion Mirra Andreeva recovered from losing the opening set against Austria’s Anastasia Potapova to reach the US Open quarter-finals for the first time.
