Qinwen Zheng rallied from a 5-0 first-set deficit to defeat former champion Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-3 on Monday at Arthur Ashe Stadium, advancing to the U.S. Open quarterfinals for the third time and ending Swiatek’s streak of consecutive seasons with a major title.
Zheng is most dangerous when she finds herself trailing. Just days after erasing a 5-0 third-set deficit against Madison Keys, the 2024 Olympic gold medalist repeated the feat against Iga Swiatek in the opening set of their fourth-round clash at the U.S. Open. The victory propels the 121st-ranked Chinese player into the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows, marking her seventh consecutive match run in New York after navigating through the qualifying rounds. Zheng from China had come through qualifying after being sidelined by a chronic elbow injury, and became the first qualifier to reach the quarter-finals since Emma Raducanu won the tournament in 2021.
Twice in the past three days, Zheng Qinwen has rallied from 5-0 down to take a set. On Saturday, she came back in the decider against Madison Keys. On Monday, she repeated the feat in the opening set against No. 8 seed Iga Swiatek, then closed out a 7-5, 6-3 victory to reach US Open quarterfinals for the third time.
How Zheng Erased a Five-Game Deficit Against Swiatek
Swiatek started the fourth-round encounter with dominant baseline play, winning eight of the first nine points to race out to a 5-0 lead in the opening set. After a fast start that saw Swiatek win eight of the first nine points for a 2-0 lead, she extended her dominance with a love hold for 5-0 to move within a game of the set. The former world No. 1 relied on patient groundstrokes and deep forehands that forced Zheng into early errors. But the momentum shifted instantly when Zheng held serve for 5-1, sparking a seven-game surge that completely upended the match. Zheng simply refused to roll over, winning the next seven games to clinch the first set before overpowering her shellshocked opponent to complete an astonishing 7-5, 6-3 victory.
As Zheng increased her depth and found her range on return, Swiatek began spraying unforced errors from the baseline. Reflecting on losing the first set to Zheng, Swiatek said she simply missed too many shots after going 5-0 up. My focus was the same as always,
said the six-time major winner. I wanted to play the same as always. [I] just started to miss too much, wanted to adjust it, but nothing kind of worked at that point. I knew I was going to have another chance and I wanted to use it, but I missed them all.
She continued: I wouldn't say it had anything to do with…
“I guess to come back again from 0-5, that’s not lucky,” Zheng said in an on-court interview Monday, smiling.
Zheng Qinwen
Swiatek’s Serve and Coaching Team
Headlining her player box is her new coach, Francisco Roig, the experienced Spanish strategist and former longtime coach of Rafael Nadal. While Roig has worked with the player, her serve failed to help her escape Zheng’s surge in the opening set, and her service mechanics remained a persistent vulnerability under pressure.
Swiatek received treatment to her left thigh when leading 2-1 in the second set, according to tournament reporting. After losing the first set and taking a 2-1 lead in the second, Swiatek called for a medical timeout, and seemed to have her left leg worked on. For a brief moment that settled her, and the Pole was up two break points on Zheng at three-all.
For Swiatek, 25, a fourth-round exit is a disappointing end to her Grand Slam season, with a quarter-final appearance at the Australian Open her best result. She was beaten in round four of the French Open, while the defence of her Wimbledon title ended in the third round. It means that, for the first time since 2021, Swiatek will end a year without winning one of the sport’s four majors. Swiatek, who entered the US Open in excellent form by winning the WTA 1000 event in Toronto and getting to the semi-finals in Cincinnati, had progressed through to round four without dropping a set before falling in straight sets.
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