US Open 2026: Zheng Qinwen shocks former champion Iga Swiatek with sensational comeback victory for the second time in a row

Zheng's quarter-final tie against Rybakina will be an extremely tough one as the Kazakh won the Australian Open 2026 title earlier this year on the hard court

Written by: Rohan Mukherjee Edited by: Rohan Mukherjee

Published: September 8, 2026, 8:56 AM IST

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https://www.india.com/sports/others/us-open-2026-zheng-qinwen-shocks-former-champion-iga-swiatek-with-sensational-comeback-victory-for-the-second-time-in-a-row-8519194/ Copy

Zheng Qinwen in sheer jubilation after bearing Iga Swiatek in US Open 2026. (Credits: X)

Zheng Qinwen has done it again. Two days after fighting back from 5-0 down against Madison Keys, the Chinese player produced another comeback from the same score line to beat former champion, Poland’s Iga Swiatek to reach the quarter-finals of the on-going 2026 US Open .

Zheng won 7-5, 6-3 on Monday, turning a match that looked to be slipping away into one of the biggest wins of her career. Swiatek had won the first five games and looked in control but Zheng refused to let the set go.

She began finding her range, hitting with more power from the baseline and making Swiatek work for every point. The former world No. 4 won seven games in a row to take the opening set 7-5. She then carried that momentum into the second set and finished the match in straight sets.

Also Read: US Open 2026: After six losses, Frances Tiafoe finally secures rare and hard fought win over old rival Daniil Medvedev to reach quarter-finals

The win came just two days after another remarkable fightback against Madison Keys. Zheng had been 0-5 down in the deciding set and was facing match point before turning the match around to win 1-6, 7-6(3), 7-5. It was the first time in her career that she had come back from 0-5 down to win a set.

This time, she did it against a player who had beaten her in seven of their previous eight meetings. Swiatek had also won the first five games, but Zheng again found a way back. The victory leaves her with a 2-7 record against the Pole, with both wins coming on big stages, the 2024 Paris Olympics and now the US Open.

The run is even more impressive given where Zheng started the tournament. She had to come through qualifying after a long spell out with a right elbow injury.

The 23-year-old had fallen to No. 121 in the rankings, but has now won seven matches in a row in New York. She is also the first qualifier to reach the US Open quarter-finals since Emma Raducanu in 2021.

Zheng will face Elena Rybakina in the last eight. The Kazakh player beat Naomi Osaka 6-1, 6-4 to book her place in the quarter-finals.

Zheng’s quarter-final tie against Rybakina will be an extremely tough one as the Kazakh won the Australian Open 2026 title earlier this year on the hard court, beating the dangerous Aryna Sabalenka by 4-6, 6-4 and 4-6 in straight sets.

The last eight match will take place tomorrow from 9:00PM (IST) onwards.