Chinese qualifier Zheng Qinwen staged a remarkable comeback to defeat American Madison Keys 1-6, 7-6(3), 7-5 in the US Open third round on September 5, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4]. Zheng trailed 5-0 and faced match point in the deciding set before winning seven consecutive games to claim victory [1, 2, 3, 5, 4].
Zheng entered the tournament ranked 121st in the world after recovering from chronic right elbow injury that required surgery in July 2025 [1, 3, 4]. She was forced to qualify for the main draw due to her ranking drop and lack of match form [3, 6, 4]. Despite these setbacks, Zheng had reached the US Open quarter-finals twice before, including in 2024 [1, 3].
Keys, seeded 22nd and 2017 US Open runner-up, started strong by winning the first set 6-1 and building a commanding 5-0 lead in the final set [1, 2, 4]. However, she was unable to close out the match, admitting afterward she felt "scared" as the momentum shifted [7]. The American had shown resilience earlier in the tournament by saving five match points in the second round against Anna Bondar [1, 5].
After the win, Zheng expressed relief and joy, saying, "Finally one time a bit of luck is on my side" and describing her mindset during the comeback: "I just told myself keep holding every single point, never give up, stay there. And somehow little by little it just happened" [1, 4]. She also said she initially "forgot how to compete" after her injury but rediscovered her competitive drive through training and qualifying matches [6, 8].
Next, Zheng will face six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek, who reached the fourth round by defeating Marie Bouzkova 7-6(3), 7-6(3) [1, 2, 9, 4]. Swiatek, 25, said the match was physical with many long rallies [9]. On the women's side, American CoCo Gauff advanced to the fourth round after beating Cristina Bucsa 6-3, 6-4 and will face Iva Jovic in an all-American match [2, 10, 11]. Meanwhile, seeded 10th Amanda Anisimova, the 2025 US Open runner-up, lost in straight sets to Anastasia Potapova [2, 12, 4].
