Iga Swiatek lost to Qinwen Zheng in the fourth round of the 2026 US Open.
The Pole took a commanding lead in the opening set, 5-0, but only won three more games from that point on.
In one of the most surprising results of this year’s US Open, Swiatek lost to Zheng, 5-7, 3-6.
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After the match, Swiatek spoke to Polish TV, explaining what went wrong.
Iga Swiatek says she started making ‘too many errors’ from 5-0 up against Qinwen Zheng
Speaking to ‘Eurosport Polska’, Swiatek shared her thoughts on Zheng’s second consecutive comeback.
“I think the fact that it was the second match in a row is just a coincidence,” she said (translated from Polish).
- Qinwen Zheng trailed Madison Keys 0-5 in the deciding set before winning her third-round match
“My mindset and overall game plan stayed the same the whole time.
“But I just started making too many errors.
Iga Swiatek vs Qinwen Zheng – Match stats
| Stats | Iga Swiatek | Qinwen Zheng |
| Aces | 1 | 3 |
| Double faults | 2 | 2 |
| 1st Serve % | 70% | 41% |
| Win % on 1st Serve | 57% | 83% |
| Win % on 2nd Serve | 46% | 53% |
| Winners | 17 | 20 |
| Unforced errors | 28 | 17 |
“She raised her level and stopped making those mistakes.
“That’s just how the match played out, but I wouldn’t look for any deeper theories here.”
Swiatek was then asked what she was thinking heading into the second set, having let such a big lead slip in the first.
“There were plenty of chances. What did I think? Just that I’m starting the match anew, and it doesn’t matter what happened already,” she said.
“That the only thing I can do is focus on simply getting more balls in the court, on being more solid than her.
“But I just couldn’t pull it off, I messed up too much.
“That level wasn’t enough to build any pressure.
“I didn’t feel like I was really anchored in that first set or that I was dwelling on the errors.
“I was more trying to just think about what to change, what to adjust, and how I could play to be more solid.
“But like I said, it didn’t quite work out for me.”
Finally, Swiatek was asked how she was feeling physically.
“Good. Everything’s okay,” she said.
Iga Swiatek finishes worst Grand Slam season since 2019
Swiatek’s form had picked up recently by winning the Canadian Open, but it wasn’t enough to save her Grand Slam season.
Losing to Zheng, Swiatek finishes the year with a 12-4 record at major tournaments.
That’s her worst campaign since 2019, her first full year on tour.
It’s also just the third year in her career in which she’s failed to win a Grand Slam title.
Iga Swiatek’s Grand Slam campaigns (2019-2026)
- 2019: 5-4
- 2020: 12-2 (French Open)
- 2021: 13-4
- 2022: 21-2 (French Open, US Open)
- 2023: 17-3 (French Open)
- 2024: 15-3 (French Open)
- 2025: 21-3 (Wimbledon)
- 2026: 12-4
The good news for Swiatek is that she doesn’t have to worry about playing another Grand Slam until January.
In the meantime, she can attempt to build on the positive results she recorded before the US Open.
Swiatek won the Canadian Open and reached the Cincinnati Open semi-finals, reminding many why she is one of the greatest players alive.
She’ll have two more chances to win WTA 1000 events before the end of the year: the China Open and Wuhan Open.
Swiatek is a former China Open champion, but has only attended the Wuhan Open once before, reaching the quarter-finals last year.
The 2026 China Open begins on Monday, September 28.
