Zheng stuns Swiatek after winning another set from 5-0 down

Zheng Qinwen turned another 5-0 deficit into victory, beating former champion Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-3 to reach the US Open quarter-finals.

The Chinese qualifier fell behind in the opening set but won 13 of the next 16 games on Arthur Ashe Stadium. She had made an almost identical escape against Madison Keys in the previous round, winning seven straight games after trailing 5-0 in the deciding set.

Zheng, the reigning Olympic champion and a former world number four, entered the tournament outside the world’s top 100 after struggling to recover her form following elbow surgery in July 2025. Her seventh straight win in New York, including three victories in qualifying, will take her back to the brink of the top 50.

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The more matches I play, the more rhythm I have on court.

The 23-year-old broke Swiatek in the seventh game of the second set with a powerful backhand return winner, then secured another break two games later. Swiatek received treatment on her left thigh while leading 2-1 in the set, but returned to continue the match.

Zheng will face either former champion Naomi Osaka or second seed Elena Rybakina. “The more matches I play, the more rhythm I have on court,” Zheng said. “I felt really pumped for my match, trying to reach better levels here and enjoy this fantastic stadium.”

Swiatek, 25, had reached the Australian Open quarter-finals but exited in the fourth round at the French Open and the third round at Wimbledon. She will finish a year without winning one of tennis’s four major tournaments for the first time since 2021.

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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.