Chinese tennis star Zheng Qinwen staged a remarkable comeback at the US Open, recovering from a 5-0 deficit in the opening set to defeat six-time grand slam champion Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-3 and advance to the quarter-finals. The victory marks one of the biggest achievements of Zheng’s career, especially after entering the tournament through the qualifying draw following a difficult season plagued by injury.
What made the performance even more extraordinary was that Zheng had accomplished the exact same feat just two days earlier. In her previous match against former Australian Open champion Madison Keys, the 23-year-old Olympic gold medallist fell behind 5-0 in the final set before winning seven consecutive games. Overturning a 5-0 deficit in back-to-back sets against two different grand slam champions is an unprecedented achievement in top-tier tennis history.
Swiatek had won seven of their eight prior encounters, but her game unraveled with unforced errors as the first set slipped away. Swiatek acknowledged after the match that she began making mistakes on simple shots while Zheng remained focused and error-free. Zheng, who dropped as low as No. 160 in the world rankings in June after undergoing elbow surgery, noted that her intense focus helped drive the turnaround, admitting she even briefly forgot the score when trailing 4-5 in the set.
The win capped off seven consecutive victories in New York for Zheng, re-establishing her position among the sport's top players. Following her triumph, Zheng advances to face second seed Elena Rybakina in the quarter-finals, after Rybakina defeated Naomi Osaka 6-1, 6-4.