China’s Zheng Qianwen made a spectacular comeback at the US Open by defeating Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-3. For the second consecutive match, Zheng trailed 5-0 in a set and then won and reached the quarter-finals.
US Open 2026: China’s Zheng Qianwen made a spectacular comeback from 5-0 down in a set for the second consecutive match. She defeated former champion Iga Swiatek to reach the quarterfinals of the US Open. Zheng will now face second seed Elena Rybakina in the next round.
Zheng’s second consecutive big comeback after being down 5-0
Olympic champion Zheng Qianwen continued her impressive run in New York with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Iga Swiatek. The special thing was that Zheng was once again behind 5-0 in the set, but she made a continuous comeback and changed the course of the match.
Zheng was also trailing 5-0 in the deciding set of the third round against Madison Keys on Saturday. After this, he won the match by winning seven consecutive games. He repeated almost a similar performance against Swiatek and won the first set 7-5 from 5-0 down. Zheng then won 13 of the next 16 games at Arthur Ashe Stadium. This brilliant performance took him to the last eight of the US Open.
Second win against Swiatek, now competition with Rybakina
This is only Zheng’s second win against Swiatek in eight matches. Their only win before this had come in the semi-finals of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Following that win, Zheng won the gold medal in the women’s singles category.
Now Zheng will face second seed Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals. Rybakina has made it to the last eight by defeating former US Open champion Naomi Osaka.
This match will be the next big test for Zheng in her current US Open campaign. He has won seven consecutive matches in the main draw after clearing three qualifying rounds in New York.
Zheng showed dominance in the second set also
The second set started with a tie between the two players. After holding serve in the early games, Zheng took a decisive lead in the seventh game.
He secured the crucial break with a powerful backhand return winner on Swiatek’s serve. Two games later, Zheng once again broke Swiatek’s serve and won the set 6-3.
Zheng’s aggressive comeback and risks taken at crucial moments helped him make a big comeback for the second consecutive match.
Zheng had gone through a bad phase after surgery.
This performance is also special for Zheng because at the beginning of 2026, she was far from her best form. After elbow surgery in July 2025, he struggled to regain his rhythm.
During this bad phase, Zheng even fell out of the top 100 in the world rankings. She was previously ranked world number four and now her consistent performance at the US Open has taken her closer to the top 50 again.
Regarding her rhythm after the match, Zheng said that the more matches she plays, the better her rhythm on the court becomes. She also told that after reaching New York she did not feel tired and she was completely excited about the match.
Daniela Hantuchova called Zheng dangerous
Former world number five Daniela Hantuchova praised Zheng’s performance. Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, he said that Zheng could now be very dangerous for the other players remaining in the tournament.
According to Hantuchova, it is difficult to say whether Zheng is playing the best tennis of all players, but seeing a top player like Swiatek get nervous on the court and look for solutions shows the strength of Zheng’s performance.
Zheng’s ability to bounce back from 5-0 down in two consecutive matches also underlined his confidence.
Zheng’s journey from qualifier to quarter final
Zheng has come through three qualifying rounds at this US Open instead of entering the main draw directly. After this he has registered seven consecutive wins in the main competition.
The most recent qualifier to reach this stage in the US Open women’s event was Britain’s Emma Raducanu. Raducanu started the tournament as a qualifier in 2021 and went on to win the title.
However, this is not the only example of a great performance by a qualifier at a Grand Slam in 2026. Poland’s Maja Chwalinska also had an impressive performance at the French Open. She started the tournament ranked 114th in the world and reached the final, where she lost to Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva.
Disappointing Grand Slam season for Swiatek
The US Open’s fourth-round exit was a disappointing result for Iga Swiatek. The 25-year-old Polish player’s best performance in a Grand Slam this year was reaching the quarterfinals at the Australian Open.
At the French Open, she was eliminated in the fourth round, while her title defense at Wimbledon ended in the third round.
With this defeat, it will be the first time since 2021 that Swiatek will not be able to win the title of any of the four Grand Slams in a calendar year.
After Toronto title, she reached US Open with great form
Swiatek was in good form before the US Open. She won the WTA 1000 tournament in Toronto and reached the semi-finals in Cincinnati.
In New York too, he had reached the fourth round without losing a set. Therefore, his defeat against Zheng can be considered a big blow for him.
During the match, Swiatek also received treatment for his left thigh while leading 2-1 in the second set. However, he refused to link his defeat to mental pressure.
Swiatek explained the reason for the defeat
Swiatek said he missed too many shots after going up 5-0. According to her, her focus was the same as before and she was trying to play the same way, but the mistakes on easy balls increased.
He also said that he tried to improve the situation, but nothing was working in his favor at the time. According to Swiatek, she knew that she would have more opportunities in the future, but she could not take advantage of those opportunities.
He believed that the reason for the defeat was not mentality but mistakes made on easy balls, while Zheng continuously improved his level of play.
Now Rybakina’s challenge is in front of Zheng
Zheng’s brilliant journey in the US Open has now reached the quarter-finals. Coming back from 5-0 down for the second consecutive time and defeating former champion Swiatek must have boosted their confidence.
However, in the next round she will face the challenge of second seed Rybakina. In such a situation, the quarter-final match will be important in deciding how far Zheng’s campaign, which started as a qualifier, reaches in New York.