(Photo credit score: Jerry Lai-Imagn Images)
Trailing 5-0 within the third set in opposition to No. 22 seed Madison Keys, Qinwen Zheng staged an exhilarating comeback by profitable the following seven video games to safe a 1-6, 7-6 (3), 7-5 victory on Saturday and attain the fourth spherical of the U.S. Open in New York.
Zheng, the 2024 Olympic gold medalist from China, held serve whereas trailing 5-0, then saved a match level with Keys serving at 5-1. Zheng broke the 2017 U.S. Open runner-up thrice throughout her seven-game run earlier than serving out the unbelievable victory in two hours, 28 minutes.
‘I’m simply telling myself (to) preserve holding each single level, by no means hand over, keep there and someway, little by little, it simply occurred,’ Zheng mentioned in her on-court interview.
In 2024, when she received gold on the Olympics after advancing to the Australian Open closing, Zheng was ranked as excessive as No. 4. However, following proper elbow surgical procedure, she is at No. 121 and needed to make it by qualifying simply to achieve the principle draw on the U.S. Open.
‘After the surgical procedure, it was not simple,’ Zheng mentioned. ‘It felt like I misplaced a little bit of my power on the tennis court docket. I’ve been by actually powerful (moments) these final three, 4, 5 months.
‘But we have been working actually onerous … and yeah, the onerous work lastly paid off a bit. I need to say due to my staff first for bringing me right here. Let’s preserve going.’
Keys, who received her earlier match after dealing with 5 match factors, got here out firing within the first set, profitable in 23 minutes after capturing 20 of the ultimate 23 factors. Zheng turned it round within the second set, which went to a tiebreaker, and received six of the final seven factors with three winners to drive the decisive third set.
Up subsequent for Zheng shall be Polish No. 8 seed Iga Swiatek, a former world No. 1 who defeated No. 25 seed Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3) to achieve the fourth spherical.
Zheng wasn’t the one participant to drag an upset, as No. 24 seed Anastasia Potapova of Austria took down No. 10 Amanda Anisimova 6-2, 7-5 in a single hour, 39 minutes.
Potapova, who was on the verge of falling out of the highest 100 this spring, has labored her manner again into the highest 25 as she superior to the fourth spherical of the U.S. Open for the primary time.
After breezing by the primary set, Potapova was damaged twice as Anisimova took the lead, however the Austrian broke again each occasions en path to the straight-sets victory.
‘Well, to be trustworthy, we had techniques earlier than the match, which do not match my recreation, so it already was not simple,’ Potapova mentioned in her press convention. ‘But the way in which I managed to make use of the techniques, I feel it is among the finest video games that I’ve ever had.’
Anisimova, who superior to the ultimate at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 2025 and reached the Australian Open quarterfinals this yr, was ousted within the third spherical of the final three Grand Slams this yr. She transformed simply 3 of 16 break-point probabilities, in comparison with 6 of 8 for Potapova, a local of Russia who now represents Austria.
Potapova will subsequent face Russian No. 5 seed Mirra Andreeva, who took out unseeded Czech Nikola Bartunkova 6-2, 7-6 (5).
Other winners Saturday included No. 4 seed Coco Gauff, who defeated unseeded Spaniard Cristina Bucsa 6-3, 6-4 to achieve the Round of 16 for the fifth consecutive yr, and No. 21 seed Anna Kalinskaya of Russia, who defeated Elina Svitolina of Ukraine 6-3, 2-6, 6-3.
Later Saturday, No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan faces unseeded Yuliia Starodubtseva of Ukraine, No. 13 seed Naomi Osaka of Japan takes on Twenty third-seeded Elise Mertens of Belgium and No. 14 seed Iva Jovic opposes Alexandra Eala, the No. 17 seed from the Philippines.
–Field Level Media