Zheng Qinwen produced another astonishing comeback at the US Open on Monday, rallying from 5-0 down in the opening set to stun eighth seed Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-3 and reach the quarter-finals in New York.
It was the second successive match in which the 23-year-old Chinese star had fought back from such a deficit, having trailed Madison Keys 5-0 in the deciding set of their third-round clash on Saturday before reeling off seven straight games to win.
Against Swiatek on Arthur Ashe Stadium, Zheng won 13 of the next 16 games after falling behind, sealing the opener with a love hold just shy of the one-hour mark.
The Olympic champion and former world number four had slipped outside the top 100 this year while recovering from elbow surgery, and had to come through three rounds of qualifying just to reach the main draw.
Her win over Swiatek was only her second in nine career meetings with the six-time Grand Slam champion, and the first time she has beaten her outside the 2024 Paris Olympics semi-final, where Zheng went on to win gold.
She also became the first qualifier to defeat Swiatek at a Grand Slam, and the second set stayed on serve until the seventh game, when Zheng struck a powerful backhand return winner to force a decisive break, sealing victory soon after.
The result extends a remarkable run for Zheng, who is now on a seven-match winning streak in New York and set for a quarter-final against either Naomi Osaka or Elena Rybakina.
No woman left in the draw has spent more time on court than Zheng this tournament, yet she described feeling energized rather than fatigued afterward.
Reflecting on her habit of turning matches around from the brink, Zheng said she has learned to focus purely on winning one point at a time when trailing heavily, a mindset that has twice now turned near-certain defeat into a statement victory.
