Qinwen Zheng defeated Iga Swiatek, 7-5, 6-3, in the fourth round of the US Open.
The Chinese qualifier continued her unlikely title bid with a straight-sets win over the 2022 US Open champion.
Trailing 0-5 in the first set, Zheng fought back to beat Swiatek in one hour and 56 minutes.
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After the match, Zheng opened up about some of the changes she made before the tournament began.
Qinwen Zheng says intense training block helped her rediscover her form before the US Open
Zheng said the following during her latest post-match press conference.
“After I lost badly in Toronto qualies, which I played really a disaster there. My coach sat down with me, and we had a long talk together,” she said.
- Canadian Open Q1 – Lanlana Tararudee defeated Qinwen Zheng, 6-3, 6-4
“He told me that you can’t continue playing like this; you need to have a training block and find your tennis again.
“I thought about it. It took me five seconds, and I said, ‘Okay, let’s do that’.
“We decided to go with Bradenton, the IMG Academy, where they have nothing around, just a tennis, gym and a resting place.
“We have been really dedicated all the time, with tennis, tennis, tennis, and training.
“I remember one day we even finished at 8.30pm in the evening, when I started at 8.am in the morning.
“It was really tough but this is how sport shows: if you don’t work hard you do not have it. I am really happy that we did the work, and in the end, the effort is paying off.”
After a year of injury setbacks, the former world number four slipped out of the top 100.
Zheng’s ranking wasn’t strong enough for her to qualify directly for the US Open main draw.
But the hard work in Bradenton paid off, and Zheng won the qualifying event before reaching the last eight in Flushing Meadows.
Qinwen Zheng at the 2026 US Open
- US Open Q1 [WIN] vs You Xiaodi, 6-3, 6-2
- US Open Q2 [WIN] vs Clara Burel, 6-1, 7-5
- US Open Q3 [WIN] vs Elena Pridankina, 6-4, 3-6, 6-0
- US Open 1R [WIN] vs Kristina Liutova, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1
- US Open 2R [WIN] vs Yulia Putintseva, 6-4, 2-6, 6-1
- US Open 3R [WIN] vs Madison Keys, 1-6, 7-6, 7-5
- US Open 4R [WIN] vs Iga Swiatek, 7-5, 6-3
Earning 430 points for reaching the quarter-finals, Zheng now sits 52nd in the ‘Live WTA Rankings’.
Live WTA Rankings
| Rank | Name | Country | Points | Max points post-US Open |
| 48 | Mayar Sherif | Egypt | 1,105 | – |
| 49 | Tamara Korpatsch | Germany | 1,103 | – |
| 50 | Liudmila Samsonova | Russia | 1,099 | – |
| 51 | Janice Tjen | Indonesia | 1,090 | – |
| 52 | Qinwen Zheng | China | 1,083 | 2,653 (13th) |
| 53 | Katie Boulter | Great Britain | 1,062 | – |
| 54 | Shuai Zhang | China | 1,055 | – |
| 55 | Jaqueline Cristian | Romania | 1,051 | – |
| 56 | Kimberly Birrell | Australia | 1,034 | – |
| 57 | Magdalena Frech | Poland | 1,032 | – |
Her efforts in New York mean she likely won’t need to play qualifying at Grand Slams next season.
And she’s not done yet.
Zheng could be ranked as high as 13th with a title…
Qinwen Zheng’s route to the US Open title
Zheng will return to take on Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina in the quarter-finals.
Given Rybakina could become world number one with a win, the stakes couldn’t be much higher.
Zheng is 1-4 against Rybakina and will need to play her absolute best tennis to reach the semis.
Should she upset the Kazakhstani, Zheng could then play Coco Gauff or Mirra Andreeva in the semi-finals.
She is 0-3 against Gauff, but did win her one meeting with Andreeva in Beijing two years ago.
Then, in the final, Zheng could play Aryna Sabalenka, Linda Noskova, Jessica Pegula, or Emma Navarro.
The Chinese star has already lost a Grand Slam final to Sabalenka at the 2024 Australian Open and would undoubtedly love a shot at revenge in New York.
- 2024 Australian Open F – Aryna Sabalenka defeated Qinwen Zheng, 6-3, 6-2
Only time will tell if Zheng can go all the way and win the US Open, but after seeing her comeback against Madison Keys and Swiatek, you certainly wouldn’t want to bet against it.
Zheng will return to take on Rybakina in the quarter-finals on Wednesday, September 9.
