Mumbai: Qinwen Zheng was jealous of the players who always play on the bigger courts of Grand Slams. As a former Grand Slam finalist and the reigning Olympic singles champion, the Chinese had been there too. Not in the last few Slams, however, as her ranking nosedived after being away with a chronic elbow injury.
On Saturday, Zheng was back out there, as a qualifier taking on American Madison Keys on Grandstand, the US Open’s third biggest court. And she scripted one of the week’s biggest turnarounds, erasing a 5-0 deficit in the deciding set to stun Keys 1-6, 7-6(3), 7-5 in the third round. At 5-0 down, Zheng found her hitting range again, and Keys lost her first serves.
Turnarounds have been the theme for Zheng in New York. The last time she won six straight matches was during her gold-winning run at the Paris Olympics two years ago.
Deep Dive
What caused Zheng Qinwen's drop in ranking to 121st before the US Open?
How did Zheng Qinwen manage to come back and win against Madison Keys after being down 5-0?
Why was Zheng Qinwen required to compete in the qualifying rounds for the US Open despite being a former Grand Slam finalist?
The 23-year-old 2024 Australian Open runner-up, who was world No.4 mid last year, is currently ranked 121st. That’s a big fall for a former top-5 pro. Also a big fall? Playing the qualifying rounds to get into this US Open as a two-time quarter-finalist.
But she did, winning three matches and falling on the court – typically a Slam-winning celebration – after the third qualifier. Going from playing on the biggest courts to the smallest ones wasn’t easy.
{{/usCountry}}But she did, winning three matches and falling on the court – typically a Slam-winning celebration – after the third qualifier. Going from playing on the biggest courts to the smallest ones wasn’t easy.
{{/usCountry}}“I spoke with my team, and my coach told me, ‘Okay, this is what you have. This is your ranking. You need to fight like it’s the beginning of your career’,” Zheng said after her second-round win.
Playing with persistent pain on her right elbow last year, Zheng underwent surgery in July. She returned in September, but stepped away again. “The second time I came back, it was hard, because I totally lost the dynamic of how to compete as an athlete,” said Zheng.
She has found that in this US Open. As well as her presence on a big court again.
Anisimova out, Alcaraz rolls on
On Louis Armstrong, Amanda Anisimova, the 10th seeded American and last year’s runner-up, was stunned by Anastasia Potapova 6-2, 7-5.
In the men’s draw, Carlos Alcaraz continued to motor along with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 victory over China’s Wu Yibing in the third round.