She Trailed 0-5, Then Won 14 of the Next 15 Games

Keypoints:

• Zheng Qinwen erased a 5-0 first-set deficit to beat Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-3 at the US Open
• It's the second straight match Zheng erased a 5-0 deficit, after a comeback against Madison Keys two days earlier
• Zheng became the first qualifier since Emma Raducanu in 2021 to reach the US Open quarterfinals
• She also became the first qualifier or lucky loser ever to beat Swiatek at a Grand Slam
• Zheng plays Naomi Osaka or Elena Rybakina next in the quarterfinals

Zheng Qinwen fell behind 5-0 in the first set against Iga Swiatek at the US Open on Monday. She won seven straight games to take the set, then closed out the match 7-5, 6-3. It's the second straight match she erased a 5-0 deficit. Two days earlier, she rallied from 5-0 down in the third set to stun Madison Keys 1-6, 7-6, 7-5.

"I guess to come back 0-5 yesterday is not lucky, that's all I can say," Zheng said afterward. She entered as a qualifier, ranked 121st after elbow surgery sidelined her for months. Swiatek held two set points serving at 5-1 and fought off another chance at 5-3. Zheng said she stayed so focused on each point that she forgot the score.

The win carries real history. Zheng became the first qualifier to reach the US Open women's quarterfinals since Emma Raducanu in 2021, the year Raducanu went on to win the whole tournament as a qualifier herself. Zheng also became the first qualifier or lucky loser ever to beat Swiatek at a Grand Slam. Swiatek had been 15-0 in such matches before Monday.

Swiatek came in 7-1 against Zheng on tour. Her lone loss came two years ago in the Olympic semifinal in Paris, where Zheng also erased a deficit, that time from 4-0 down in the second set, en route to gold. Zheng now faces either two-time champion Naomi Osaka or No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals.