Zheng Qinwen Stuns Swiatek with Another 5-0 Comeback
Chinese tennis star Zheng Qinwen produced one of the most remarkable runs in recent Grand Slam history, rallying from 0-5 down in the opening set to defeat eighth seed Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-3 and reach the US Open quarterfinals for the third time in her career. The victory on Arthur Ashe Stadium marked Zheng’s second consecutive match featuring a comeback from a 5-0 deficit, following her dramatic third-round escape against Madison Keys.
A Pattern of Miraculous Comebacks
Zheng, who entered the tournament as a qualifier ranked No. 121 in the world, found herself trailing 0-5 against the six-time Grand Slam champion after a sluggish start. But just as she had done two days earlier against Keys, the 23-year-old Olympic gold medalist reeled off seven consecutive games to take the first set 7-5, then closed out the match in straight sets in one hour and 56 minutes, according to Xinhua News.
“I didn’t play well at the start, but little by little I found my rhythm on the center court,” Zheng said after the match. “I focused on playing every point well, gradually improving my level and finding my feel. At one point in the first set I even forgot the score, which shows how focused I was. I think that’s the key to completing the comeback. I didn’t expect this to happen today, but it happened again.”
The comeback pattern is almost unprecedented at the highest level. As The Guardian noted, a player winning seven games in a row from 0-5 down in consecutive sets against two different opponents is virtually unheard of — and doing so against two Grand Slam title winners has never happened before.
From Qualifying to Quarterfinals
Zheng’s journey to the last eight has been anything but conventional. After undergoing elbow surgery in July 2025 and enduring a lengthy injury layoff, her ranking plummeted from a career-high No. 4 to as low as No. 160. She was forced to compete in Grand Slam qualifying for the first time since 2022, winning three matches just to reach the main draw.
BBC Sport reported that Zheng is the first qualifier to reach the US Open women’s quarterfinals since Emma Raducanu in 2021 — who went on to win the title. Her seven consecutive wins in New York have propelled her live ranking to approximately No. 52.
“I was even crying after I won the third match to reach the main draw,” Zheng told BBC. “The main draw is just the beginning where all the players start. That was my beginning before. I fight so hard just to start like everyone else. For me, that was really not easy.”
The turnaround can be traced to an intensive training block at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, organized by her coach Pere Riba after a disappointing loss in Toronto qualifying. As WTA Tennis detailed, Zheng skipped the Cincinnati Open entirely to focus on rebuilding her game.
“Just tennis, gym, and a resting place,” Zheng said of the Florida training. “We have been really dedicating all the time in tennis, tennis, tennis, and training. I remembered one day that we even finished training at 8:30 in the evening when I started at 8:00 in the morning.”
Breaking Through Against Swiatek
The victory over Swiatek carries particular significance. Zheng’s head-to-head record against the Polish star now stands at 2-7, with her only previous win coming in the semifinals of the 2024 Paris Olympics — a match that propelled her to gold. This was her first win over Swiatek on hard courts.
Swiatek, who had entered the tournament in strong form after winning the WTA 1000 event in Toronto, struggled to explain her collapse after racing to a 5-0 lead. “I wouldn’t say it had anything to do with mentality,” she said, per Yahoo Sports. “It was more that I started making mistakes from easy balls and Qinwen stopped doing mistakes. She played the balls better.”
Former world No. 5 Daniela Hantuchova, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, warned that Zheng is becoming a serious threat. “She is starting to be very dangerous for the rest of the players left,” Hantuchova said. “If you have Iga Swiatek panicking on the other side of the court, not knowing what to do, that says a lot.”
What’s Next
Zheng will face second seed Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals, after the Kazakh player swept past 13th seed Naomi Osaka 6-1, 6-4. Rybakina leads their head-to-head series 4-1 and has won both meetings this year.
Despite her remarkable run, Zheng remains grounded about her position. “I’ve learned a lot — about myself, about tennis, about every aspect of life,” she said. “My most important lesson now is to stay humble. I came up from qualifying, I need to remember the reality: my ranking is only around 120. I’m no longer the former top-10 player. I can’t think too highly of myself. I’m at the same starting point as everyone else, and I’ll keep fighting with my feet on the ground.”
With her confidence restored and momentum building, Zheng’s quarterfinal clash with Rybakina on September 9 promises to be one of the most anticipated matches of the tournament. For a player who was questioning whether she could compete again just months ago, simply being in this position represents a triumph — but the Olympic champion clearly has more in mind.