US Open: China's Zheng, top seed Zverev power into quarterfinals

Reigning Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen of China overcame a 5-0 deficit in the opening set to beat six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek of Poland 7-5, 6-3 on Monday and reach the US Open quarterfinals.

Zheng Qinwen hits a return during the women's singles fourth round match betweetn Zheng Qinwen of China and Iga Swiatek of Poland at the 2026 US Open tennis championships in New York, the United States, Sept. 7, 2026. (Xinhua/Li Rui)

Men's top seed Alexander Zverev of Germany also advanced, defeating Italy's Luciano Darderi 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (3).

Zheng, 23, recovered from a slow start to win 12 of the next 13 games against Swiatek. It was her second remarkable comeback in as many matches after she rallied from 5-0 down in the deciding set to eliminate American Madison Keys in the previous round Saturday.

Zheng said the consecutive turnarounds were no accident and credited a more aggressive approach against Swiatek.

"I think in the baseline, I tried to play more flat against her, because she has really good top spin that makes me feel uncomfortable. I also tried to play more aggressive and stay with her as long as I can," Zheng said.

Zheng, who underwent elbow surgery in July 2025, said she was delighted to be back on the US Open's biggest stage after recovering this season.

"People often ask me if I am tired. When I arrived here, I'm not tired at all. I just feel really pumped for my next match, trying to reach a better level here, show my tennis and enjoy this fantastic stadium," she said.

Zheng will next face second seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, who beat Japan's Naomi Osaka 6-1, 6-4.

Zverev struck 13 aces and held off a third-set fightback from Darderi to secure his place in the last eight.

"I felt my level was very consistent. It was just that he started playing incredibly well in the third set. I barely saw anyone hit the ball as hard as he did. So credit to him, he made it very difficult for me," Zverev said.

Women's fourth seed Coco Gauff of the United States eased past compatriot Iva Jovic 6-1, 6-4, while Russia's Karen Khachanov rallied to upset men's 14th seed Learner Tien of the United States 7-5, 4-6, 6-7 (6), 6-1, 6-4 in three hours and 50 minutes.

In women's doubles, China's Jiang Xinyu and Zhang Shuai reached the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 7-6 (6) victory over Japan's Miyu Kato and Wu Fang-hsien of Chinese Taipei.