Zheng Qinwen Erases Another 5-0 Hole
Bharatmorning.com – Flushing Meadows rarely produces a sequence as jaw-dropping as the one Zheng Qinwen authored on Monday afternoon. Trailing 5-0 inside the opening set against world No. 8 Iga Swiatek, the Chinese qualifier looked destined for elimination. Instead, Zheng Qinwen erases another 5-0 deficit and storms back to take the set 7-5 before closing out the match 6-3. The result sends her into the quarterfinals for the third time in four years and marks the first occasion since Raducanu’s title victory that a qualifier has reached the final eight at the U.S. Open.
Two Comebacks in 48 Hours
The pattern is almost uncanny. Just two days earlier, Zheng had found herself down 5-0 in the third set of her round-of-32 tie with No. 22 Madison Keys. She answered by taking the final seven games in succession to finish 1-6, 7-6 (3), 7-5. Monday brought the identical scoreline within minutes of the first set against Swiatek, yet the script flipped once more.
“I guess to come back 0-5 yesterday is not lucky, that’s all I can say,” Zheng told reporters after the match.
Swiatek, the Olympic gold medalist and 2022 U.S. Open champion, served at 5-1 in the first set and held two set points, converting neither. She returned with a 5-3 lead in the second set and squandered yet another set point. Zheng, by contrast, described being so fixated on each individual point that the scoreboard ceased to register in her mind.
The Qualifier’s Road and What Lies Ahead
Zheng’s path to this stage ran through the qualifying bracket after elbow surgery cost her a direct main-draw entry this season. That injury had derailed her preparation and forced a complete rebuild of her ranking. Standing among the last eight at a Grand Slam via that back-door route underscores both her physical resilience and the sheer depth of the field.
Her quarterfinal opponent will emerge from Monday night’s opener pitting two-time champion Naomi Osaka against No. 2 Elena Rybakina. Either outcome presents a steep challenge: Osaka brings big-match experience, while Rybakina pairs top-five ranking with raw baseline power.
Elsewhere in the draw, French Open champion Mirra Andreeva recovered from a first-set loss to beat No. 24 Anastasia Potapova 5-7, 6-4, 6-3. The No. 5 seed will next face either No. 4 Coco Gauff or No. 14 Iva Jovic, who are scheduled to collide later in the same night session.
Before Monday, Swiatek held a 7-1 head-to-head edge over Zheng. The sole exception came at the Paris Olympics, where Zheng erased a 4-0 deficit in the second set to snap Swiatek’s 25-match winning streak at Roland Garros — the venue where the Polish star has claimed four titles. That Olympic semifinal remains the defining counter-narrative in an otherwise lopsided rivalry.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did Zheng Qinwen beat Swiatek after falling 5-0? She won the next two games to reach 5-2, broke Swiatek’s serve to level at 5-3, and then held her own serve to take the set 7-5. She followed with a 6-3 second-set victory, capitalizing on Swiatek’s failure to convert three set points across the match.
Why did Zheng enter the U.S. Open through qualifying? Elbow surgery earlier in the season prevented her from accumulating enough ranking points for a direct main-draw entry, forcing her to compete in the qualifying bracket before earning a spot in the main draw.
Who will Zheng face in the quarterfinals? Her opponent will be