Zheng Qinwen stuns Iga Swiatek to reach US Open quarters

China’s Zheng Qinwen rallied from 0-5 down in the first set to beat eighth seed Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-3 on Monday, reaching the US Open quarterfinals and becoming the first qualifier ever to beat Swiatek at a Grand Slam.

How did the comeback unfold?

Swiatek raced to a 5-0 lead in the opening set and looked set to close it out quickly, but Zheng won seven straight games to steal the set 7-5, then broke Swiatek twice more in the second to close out the match.

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It was the second straight match in which Zheng erased a 0-5 deficit, having done the same in the deciding set against Madison Keys two days earlier, winning that match 1-6, 7-6(3), 7-5.

Why is this such a big result for Zheng?

Zheng entered the tournament as a qualifier, ranked 121st after an elbow surgery last year, a steep fall from her career high of world number four. The win over Swiatek improved her head-to-head with the Pole to 2-7, with her only other career win over Swiatek coming in the semifinals of the 2024 Paris Olympics, where Zheng went on to win gold. Swiatek had previously gone 15-0 against qualifiers and lucky losers at Grand Slams before Monday’s loss.

Zheng also became the first qualifier to reach the US Open quarterfinals since Emma Raducanu’s title run in 2021, though her own path through the tournament has looked different. This marks her third career US Open quarterfinal, following appearances in 2023 and 2024.

Who’s next for Zheng?

Zheng will next face Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals, after the Kazakh beat Naomi Osaka 6-1, 6-4 in 66 minutes. Rybakina leads her head-to-head with Zheng 4-1 and has won both of their meetings this season, in Doha and Madrid, both in three sets. A win for Rybakina would also see her overtake Aryna Sabalenka for the world number one ranking.