(VIDEO) Zheng Qinwen Erases Another 0-5 Deficit To Stun Iga Swiatek, Reach US Open Quarterfinals

NEW YORK — Zheng Qinwen produced a remarkable second consecutive comeback from a 0-5 deficit at the U.S. Open on Monday, storming back to defeat No. 8 seed Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-3 on Arthur Ashe Stadium to become the first qualifier to reach the tournament's quarterfinals since Emma Raducanu's title run in 2021. Zheng, of China and the 2024 Olympic gold medalist, quickly fell behind 5-0 against the 2022 U.S. Open champion, with Swiatek holding multiple set points at both 5-1 and 5-3. Rather than folding under the pressure, Zheng steadily found her range on return as Swiatek's level dropped, ultimately winning seven consecutive games to claim the opening set before pulling away in the second. Zheng saved break points on her second serve during the pivotal turning point of the match before launching a deep return and a backhand winner down the line to break Swiatek's serve, a game that appeared to drain the remaining momentum from her opponent, who grew visibly frustrated as unforced errors mounted. Zheng ultimately sealed the straight-sets victory when Swiatek hit a ball into the net on match point. Speaking after the win, Zheng reflected on the improbable pattern now defining her tournament, coming just two days after she rallied from an identical 5-0 deficit in the deciding third set to upset No. 22 seed Madison Keys. "I guess to come back 0-5 yesterday is not lucky, that's all I can say," Zheng said. Zheng entered Monday's match having lost seven of her eight previous meetings with Swiatek, with her only prior victory coming two years earlier in the Olympic semifinals in Paris, when she came back from a 4-0 deficit in the second set to stop Swiatek's 25-match winning streak at Roland Garros, the venue where the Polish star has won four French Open titles. Monday's win marked the seventh consecutive victory for Zheng in New York and pushed her into the U.S. Open quarterfinals for the third time in her career, following previous appearances at that stage in 2023 and 2024. Zheng has never advanced beyond the quarterfinal round at Flushing Meadows, meaning Monday's win sets up a chance for her to reach new territory at the tournament if she can continue her run. This year's path to the milestone has been particularly demanding for Zheng, who underwent elbow surgery earlier in the year and was forced to work through the qualifying rounds just to reach the main draw at this year's tournament. Her run to the final eight as a qualifier now places her among an exclusive group at the U.S. Open, with Raducanu remaining the most recent qualifier to advance that deep in the tournament, a run that culminated in Raducanu becoming the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam title in the Open era, which dates to 1968. Zheng will next face the winner of a separate fourth-round matchup between two-time U.S. Open champion Naomi Osaka and No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina for a spot in the semifinals. Monday's night session at Flushing Meadows also featured a marquee all-American matchup between No. 4 seed Coco Gauff and No. 14 seed Iva Jovic, with the winner set to face French Open champion Mirra Andreeva, the tournament's No. 5 seed, in the quarterfinals. Andreeva advanced earlier Monday with a comeback win of her own, defeating No. 24 seed Anastasia Potapova 5-7, 6-4, 6-3. Swiatek's exit continues a difficult stretch at the U.S. Open specifically for the six-time major champion, who has now suffered a notable upset at Flushing Meadows despite her status as a former champion at the tournament and one of the most dominant players in the sport over the past several years. Her loss to Zheng adds to a recent pattern in which the Polish star has shown occasional vulnerability against lower-ranked opponents capable of sustaining pressure over long, physically demanding matches, even as she remains one of the leading figures in the women's game. For Zheng, the back-to-back comebacks from identical 5-0 deficits have become a defining storyline of her tournament run, drawing significant attention from tennis analysts and fans given how rare it is for a player to overcome such a substantial early deficit even once at a Grand Slam event, let alone in consecutive matches. Her ability to maintain composure and steadily claw back into both contests, rather than allowing an early setback to spiral into a lopsided defeat, has been cited repeatedly by commentators covering the tournament as a marker of significant mental resilience under pressure. Zheng's continued success at the U.S. Open also carries broader significance for Chinese tennis, given her status as one of the sport's most prominent rising stars from the country following her Olympic gold medal performance in 2024. Her run through this year's draw as a qualifier, following surgery that had disrupted her earlier-season form, adds a notable comeback narrative to her broader career trajectory heading into the tournament's final rounds. With the quarterfinal matchup against either Osaka or Rybakina still to be determined, Zheng will look to build on the momentum from consecutive dramatic comebacks as she attempts to advance past the quarterfinal stage at the U.S. Open for the first time in her career. Her run has already reshaped the storylines heading into the tournament's closing rounds, adding an unexpected and closely watched thread to a women's draw that has also seen strong performances from Gauff, Andreeva and Jovic as the tournament moves into its final stretch at Flushing Meadows.