Zheng Qinwen delivered a stunning performance at the US Open by overcoming a significant deficit to defeat Iga Swiatek in two sets. In the fourth round match, Zheng was down 5-0 in the opening set before turning the game around to win seven straight games and take the set. This was the second consecutive match in which Zheng had erased a 5-0 deficit. She had previously overcome a 5-0 gap in the third set of a match two days earlier to win that match. The victory made Zheng the first female qualifier to reach the US Open quarter-finals since Emma Raducanu won the tournament in 2021.
Swiatek had a record of seven wins against Zheng entering the match, with their only loss coming at the Olympics in Paris two years ago, according to CBC News. Zheng’s victory was especially impressive given her recent struggles on the tour, according to a report from The Guardian. She had fallen as low as No. 160 in June and her record was just 11-13 before this match. Despite the difficult run, Zheng had previously reached the Australian Open final and climbed to a career-high ranking of No. 4 last year. She also won Olympic gold in 2024, which helped establish her as one of China’s most famous athletes.
The match saw Swiatek struggle with errors after losing control early in the first set. Zheng said she had forgotten the score at one point during the match, showing how intensely focused she was. Swiatek added that the outcome wasn’t due to mental strength but rather a shift in momentum when she started making mistakes and Zheng stopped making them.
Swiatek had been playing well and had even received treatment on her left thigh in the second set. After the match, Swiatek said she didn’t believe it was a mental issue but that Zheng simply played better in key moments.
Zheng’s win sets up a quarterfinal match against either Naomi Osaka or Elena Rybakina. In another notable result, Mirra Andreeva reached the quarter-finals for the first time at Flushing Meadows. She beat Anastasia Potapova with a score of 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 in three sets. Andreeva, the French Open champion and fifth seed, will face either Coco Gauff or Iva Jovic next.
The US Open also saw five American men reach the fourth round for the first time since 1995. Top-seeded Alexander Zverev was scheduled to face Luciano Darderi in the fourth round, while Learner Tien faced Karen Khachanov with a chance to become the fourth American man in the quarter-finals.
Other matches featured Ben Shelton and other top players competing in the early rounds.
IMAGE: Zheng Qinwen playing in the first round of the 2023 DC Open. Photo: Hameltion / Wikimedia, taken 2023-08-01, CC BY-SA 4.0