Zheng Qinwen, competing as a qualifier, eliminated eighth-seeded Iga Swiatek, the 2022 champion, in the fourth round of the US Open 2026 with a 7-5, 6-3 victory. The 23-year-old Chinese player becomes the first qualifier to reach the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows since Emma Raducanu in 2021.
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A second 0-5 comeback in three days
The 2024 Olympic gold medalist stared down the abyss once again. Trailing 5-0 in the opening set, Zheng appeared headed for a swift exit against the Pole who held a commanding 7-1 career record against her. But the Chinese player summoned the same fire that fueled her remarkable comeback against Madison Keys two days earlier, when she had already erased a 0-5 deficit in the third set to win 1-6, 7-6(3), 7-5. Seven consecutive games won, two set points saved by Swiatek at 5-1 and a third at 5-3, and the first set swung 7-5 in Zheng's favor.
Swiatek overwhelmed by Zheng's intensity
The second set offered no respite for the Pole. Zheng, emboldened by her comeback, raised the pace of her groundstrokes and seized control of the rallies from the baseline. At 6-3, the match was over in just 98 minutes. Swiatek had suffered only one defeat against the Chinese player before Monday, in the Olympic semifinals in Paris 2024, where Zheng had already overturned a 0-4 deficit. A recurring pattern that speaks volumes about the extraordinary mental strength of the player from Shijiazhuang.
A qualifier in the quarters, a first since Raducanu
Zheng, a former world No. 5, had to enter through qualifying this year after a lengthy absence due to elbow surgery. Her journey from the first round of qualifying to the quarterfinals echoes Emma Raducanu's fairy tale run to the 2021 title as a qualifier. In the quarterfinals, Zheng will face second-seeded Elena Rybakina, who dispatched Naomi Osaka 6-1, 6-4 earlier on Monday. Zheng is currently ranked outside the top 50 following her injury layoff, but the level she has displayed in New York suggests her return to the summit is only a matter of time. (Sources: AP, ESPN, NBC Sports)
