Qinwen Zheng’s Resurgence at the 2026 US Open

Qinwen Zheng wasn’t just any qualifier who made a surprise run to the 2026 US Open quarter-finals.

It wasn’t exactly uncharted territory for the 23-year-old from Shiyan, China, especially in New York, where she made back-to-back quarters in 2023 and 2024. That’s not to mention that Zheng was also an Australian Open runner-up and Olympic gold medalist just two years ago.

Unfortunately, elbow surgery following 2025 Wimbledon put a damper in the former world No. 4’s career.

Zheng was out for three months, missing the 2025 US Open, before returning at the China Open. However, her return was cut short as the Chinese retired in her second-round match due to an injury to her recently operated upon elbow. The setback kept her out of action for the rest of the season and the first month of 2026, forcing her to withdraw from the Australian Open.

Zheng couldn’t quite hit the heights of 2024 again. The 23-year-old only reached the fourth round once in her first nine events this year, falling from No. 26 to outside the Top 150 in the WTA rankings. Ultimately, Zheng’s drop had her miss out on direct entry into the 2026 National Bank Open presented by Rogers, the first time she had to play qualifying at an event since January 2023. A few weeks later, she had to grind through US Open qualifying as well.

It was a challenge that the world No. 121 embraced, though. She won her opening two matches in straight sets but was forced into a decider against Elena Pridankina in the qualification final. Zheng secured a spot in the main draw thanks to a third-set bagel.

Something just seemed to click the moment the Chinese No. 4 went into a decisive set. Zheng opened the main draw by coming back from a set down against Kristina Liutova, then beat Yulia Putintseva in three to reach the third round. Zheng’s road looked to be over as she trailed Madison Keys 0-5 in the third set of her next contest, soon facing match point at 5-1, 40-30. However, the Olympic champion fought it off and won her seventh-consecutive game to complete the dramatic comeback, winning four-straight deciding sets en route to the fourth round.

The comeback queen wasn’t done there. Zheng found herself down 0-5 in a set again, this time in the first against world No. 8 Iga Swiatek. The Chinese saved three set points before taking the opener 7-5, eventually closing out the match in straights to return to the US Open quarter-finals.

Zheng became the first qualifier to make the US Open quarters since Emma Raducanu in 2021, believing that going through qualifying helped her find herself, both on and off the court.

“I learned a lot about myself [in qualifying], about tennis, about life, about everything. For me learning a match is not just about tennis. It’s more about something with yourself. Also, when you’re winning a match, exactly what you did right to win this match,” the three-time US Open quarter-finalist said in a press conference on Sept. 7 in New York. “I’d say right now the most important challenge for me is to keep humble, be there, and fight.”

Unfortunately for Zheng, she was on the wrong end of a comeback in the quarters as her run came to an end to new world No. 1, Elena Rybakina.

However, the Chinese still leaves Flushing Meadows on a high note. Zheng’s resurgence will put her on the verge of re-entering the Top 50, moving 69 spots up the WTA rankings to No. 52.

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Feature Photo: Martin Sidorjak