By Amy Tennery
NEW YORK, Sept 7 (Reuters) – Chinese qualifier Zheng Qinwen produced another spectacular fight back to upset six-times major winner Iga Swiatek 7-5 6-3 in the U.S. Open on Monday, recovering from 0-5 down in the opening set to reach the quarter-finals.
The Olympic champion battled her way through qualifiers amid a career slump and has recaptured her top form in New York, getting the best of an opponent who had led 7-to-1 in their head-to-head before Monday.
“I start the match really slow. That’s why she’s able to lead 5-0. After that, I start to play more freely, let’s say, because I think I need to try to find my rhythm at least for the second set,” said Zheng, whose chronic right elbow injury stunted her career and forced her to undergo surgery last year.
“Somehow, I felt really comfortable on court, and in one moment I also lose (track of) the score, because I’m so focused to playing every single point. I think that’s the key for me to come back. I didn’t expect that today, but somehow it’s just happening again.”
She next plays second seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan.
Zheng appears to do her best work with her back against the wall, recovering from five games to love in the deciding set of her third round match this week, and she found the magic again at Arthur Ashe Stadium, saving three set points to the increasing frustration of the 2022 champion Swiatek.
Swiatek took a medical timeout after the third game of the second set, having a physio come and massage her left thigh, but did not appear to struggle as she returned to the court.
Zheng broke her opponent with a backhand winner down the line in the seventh game and broke again on the fourth match point, leaving Swiatek in tears again two years after she stunningly beat the Pole in the Olympic semi-finals.
“It’s tough to get over that when it happens. And maybe I could have played more safe or something, but I also didn’t feel like I had space with Qinwen to do that,” said Swiatek.
“If I would be more solid than her, I would win this game, but I wasn’t solid and I was missing too much.”
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New YorkEditing by Christian Radnedge)
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