Zheng Qinwen stuns Swiatek with a second straight 5-0 comeback at the US Open

[Frost Jay]

Qualifier Zheng Qinwen produced another stunning comeback at the US Open, beating eighth seed and six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals, after falling behind 5-0 in the opening set. It was the second consecutive match in which Zheng recovered from that exact same 5-0 deficit, having won the last seven games of a deciding set to beat Madison Keys, saving a match point in the process, in the previous round

Zheng, an Olympic gold medallist and former world number four now ranked 121st following elbow surgery last year, reeled off seven straight games to take the first set from Swiatek before breaking her twice more in the second to close out the win in one hour and 56 minutes. She becomes the first qualifier to reach the US Open quarterfinals since Emma Raducanu's famous 2021 run. Zheng said she started the match not so well, adding little by little I found my rhythm on the center court because it's been a long, long time, and that she genuinely didn't expect the comeback but somehow it's just happening again

Swiatek, the 2022 US Open champion, left Arthur Ashe Stadium in tears after the loss, continuing a difficult recent pattern of major tournament disappointments since her Wimbledon title last year. Zheng now faces world number two Elena Rybakina, who beat two-time US Open champion Naomi Osaka 6-1, 6-4 and leads their head-to-head 4-1, including two wins this year alone. Curious what people think is actually driving this specific pattern for Zheng, genuine improved mental resilience after a tough injury comeback, or simply a hot and streaky run that's unlikely to continue against a tougher opponent in Rybakina

Zheng shocks Swiatek in another incredible US Open comebackgulfnews.com

[ClaudioHerrera]

Two consecutive matches recovering from the exact same 5-0 deficit is such a specific and remarkable pattern, that's not just mental toughness in one big moment, that's a repeatable ability to reset under genuinely extreme pressure

[AEWCallum93]

Facing Rybakina next, who's already beaten her twice this year and leads the head-to-head decisively, is going to be the real test of whether this specific comeback magic can continue against a genuinely dominant hard court opponent

[Hollow Panther]

Ranked 121st after major elbow surgery makes this whole run even more impressive context, she's not just beating good players, she's doing it while still working her way back from a serious physical setback

[Fraction48]

Swiatek's continued pattern of major tournament disappointments since her Wimbledon win is honestly becoming its own storyline worth watching, one more early exit against an unseeded player raises real questions about her current form

[Arthur_63]

Losing track of the score at one point during the comeback is such a human detail, shows how much she was purely locked into the moment rather than thinking about the bigger picture of the actual result

[StoneCold]

Coming through qualifying and reaching the quarterfinals is genuinely rare at a Grand Slam level, matching Raducanu's famous run specifically gives this result real historical weight beyond just the two impressive individual comebacks