Flushing Meadows witnessed high drama on Monday as China’s Zheng Qinwen pulled off a stunning upset against six-time major winner Iga Swiatek to reach the US Open quarterfinals. The Olympic champion’s comeback was nothing short of extraordinary, falling behind 0-5 in the opening set before mounting a fierce fightback that left her collapsed on court, face buried in her hands after sealing victory on the fourth match point.
What makes Zheng’s run even more remarkable? She’s the first qualifier since Emma Raducanu in 2021 to reach this stage of the women’s draw, battling back from a chronic elbow injury that had threatened her career. The Chinese star had already displayed her fighting spirit in the third round, recovering from a 0-5 deficit in the deciding set against Madison Keys.
Elena Rybakina overpowered former champion Naomi Osaka 6-1 6-4 and will now face Zheng in what promises to be a blockbuster quarterfinal. The Kazakh sits just one win away from becoming world number one for the first time.
Meanwhile, three American men advanced to the quarterfinals as the tournament entered its second week. Russian fifth seed Mirra Andreeva also progressed despite her opponent Anastasia Potapova suffering an injury in the final game.
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