Zheng erases 0-5 for the second match running and knocks Swiatek out of the US Open
Qinwen Zheng trailed Iga Swiatek 5-0 and won the set, then the match, beating the No. 8 seed 7-5, 6-3 to reach the US Open quarterfinals as a qualifier ranked No. 121. It is the second match running in which the Chinese player has recovered a set from 0-5, and she is the first qualifier into the last eight in New York since Emma Raducanu in 2021.
QINWEN ZHENG, US Open 2026 | © Zuma / PsNewz
Qinwen Zheng was five games from losing the first set and did not lose it, the Chinese qualifier beating Poland’s No. 8 seed Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-3 on Monday evening to reach the US Open quarterfinals, a day after doing the identical thing to Madison Keys.
Ranked No. 121, Zheng is the first qualifier to reach the last eight in New York since Emma Raducanu in 2021, and she is into a Grand Slam quarterfinal for the first time since Roland-Garros in 2025.
It is her third at this tournament. She came through against Russian qualifier Kristina Liutova 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, Kazakh Yulia Putintseva 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 and American No. 22 seed Keys 1-6, 7-6 (3), 7-5, the last of those the first of the two sets she rescued from 0-5, and she finished this one flat on her back on the court.
Asked about the run of recoveries, she declined to accept the explanation that had been offered for the first one. “I guess to come back from 0-5 yesterday is not lucky,” she said. “That’s all I can say.”
Swiatek gives the loss no more weight than any other
Swiatek was in no mood afterwards to treat what followed as a lesson. Invited to say how she would process losing a set from 5-0 up and grow from it, she rejected the premise. “It’s just one match. Try to play the same way as usual. What do you mean. Do you think it’s something crazy? You can lose a set from any score, nothing special about that. Just that’s what happened and that’s it.”
Zheng plays the winner of the fourth-round match between Japanese No. 13 seed Naomi Osaka and Kazakh No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina.
US Open 2026, Full women’s singles Fourth Round list:
A. Sabalenka [1] d. T. Townsend: 6-3, 6-4
L. Noskova [6] d. M. Kostyuk [11]: 7-5, 5-7, 6-4
J. Pegula [3] d. S. Cirstea [16]: 6-3, 6-4
E. Navarro [26] d. A. Kalinskaya [21]: 6-4, 6-2
M. Andreeva [5] d. A. Potapova [24]: 5-7, 6-4, 6-3
I. Jovic [14] vs C. Gauff [4] – Monday, Ashe Stadium, 7:00 PM session
Q. Zheng (Q) d. I. Swiatek [8]: 7-5, 6-3
N. Osaka [13] vs E. Rybakina [2] – Monday, Armstrong Stadium, not before 2:30 PM
