Story perspectives

Zheng rallies past Swiatek to reach women’s quarterfinals

9/8/2026

Summary

Story summary

Qinwen Zheng rallied from 0-5 down to defeat Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-3 and reach the quarter-finals.
Two days earlier she erased a 0-5 deficit against Madison Keys, winning 1-6, 7-6(7-3), 7-5.
Zheng, a 23-year-old Olympic gold medalist, qualified after elbow surgery dropped her ranking to No. 121.
She became the first qualifier to reach the women’s quarter-finals since Emma Raducanu in 2021.

History

Historical Context

In September 2021, Emma Raducanu entered the US Open as a qualifier and captured the title, becoming the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam. Raducanu earned $2.4 million in prize money and defeated Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-3 in the final, while ranked No. 150. Zheng’s comeback victories over Iga Swiatek and Madison Keys echo Radcanu’s breakthrough, showing qualifiers can topple top-10 players and reach quarter-finals. These rare runs pressure tournament organizers to reconsider ranking protections and inspire lower-ranked athletes to pursue major titles despite limited resources.

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Story summary

Qinwen Zheng rallied from 0-5 down to defeat Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-3 and reach the quarter-finals.
Two days earlier she erased a 0-5 deficit against Madison Keys, winning 1-6, 7-6(7-3), 7-5.
Zheng, a 23-year-old Olympic gold medalist, qualified after elbow surgery dropped her ranking to No. 121.
She became the first qualifier to reach the women’s quarter-finals since Emma Raducanu in 2021.

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