09 September,2026 08:47 AM IST | New York | Agencies
China’s Qinwen Zheng celebrates her win over Poland’s Iga Swiatek at the US Open in New York on Monday. Pics/AFP
[popcorn number="Eight" desc="No. of consecutive games won by Qinwen Zheng including her win over Iga Swiatek" class="Default"]
[popcorn number="Three" desc="No. of consecutive US Open quarter-finals for Qinwen Zheng - in 2023, 2024 and 2026; she missed the 2025 edition due to injury" class="Default"]
[popcorn number="2024" desc="The year Qinwen Zheng won her Olympic gold medal in Paris; interestingly, she beat Iga Swiatek in the final" class="Default"]
[popcorn number="82%" desc="Qinwen Zheng's win percentage across the US Open with 14 wins and three defeats; her best record at any Slam" class="Default"]
[popcorn number="Six" desc="No. of months Qinwen Zheng spent to recover from an elbow injury and surgery (July 2025 to February 2026); she dropped from World No. 4 to No. 160 on her return" class="Default"]
China's Qinwen Zheng pulled off another US Open stunner on Monday, rallying to beat Iga Swiatek and reach the quarter-finals as Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff advanced.
It was one more gritty win for Zheng, the Paris Olympics gold medallist and a former World No. 4, now ranked 121st after struggling in the wake of elbow surgery last year. Zheng had won the last seven games, saving a match point as she shocked Madison Keys in her previous match.
Iga Swiatek leaves in tears after her defeat to Qinwen Zheng
After falling behind 0-5 in the first set against six-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek she again reeled off seven straight. She then broke Iga Swiatek twice in the second set to clinch the win. Swiatek, who fell to Zheng in the gold medal match in Paris two years ago, left the Arthur Ashe Stadium in tears.
"I started the match not so well. But I find my way little by little on Centre Court. It has been a long time since I played on Centre Court. I just really appreciated being here to play at Ashe Stadium first.
"Secondly, I just focused point by point and little by little I started to play better tennis and find my game. At one point, I even forgot the score in the first set at 4-5; that shows how focussed I am.
"To come back from 0-5 yesterday [Saturday] and today [Monday] is not lucky; that's what I can say," Zheng said after becoming the first qualifier or lucky loser to beat Swiatek at a Grand Slam.
When asked about her tough injury layoff, which lasted around six months, from July 2025 to February 2026, Zheng admitted it was very tough for her mind to accept reality. "Psychologically, it is very difficult to accept. I used to be top 10, Olympic champion. I've played in big stadiums since the beginning. I couldn't perform well the last three, four months," the 23-year-old from China said.
"I know people had a lot of doubts about me, and it's just really hard for me. It is a really, really tough process. I suffered a lot, and I have been through a lot of pain every single loss that I have," Zheng added.
She'll next face World No. 2 Rybakina, the reigning Australian Open champion who cruised past a hurting Naomi Osaka 6-1, 6-4 in just 66 minutes.
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
