Iga Swiatek went down the tunnel inside Arthur Ashe in floods of tears after being knocked out of the US Open – and suffering a staggering collapse during her first set against Zheng Qinwen.
The 2022 champion in New York had been in cruise control in the opening stages of the fourth-round match, playing confidently to a 5-0 lead.
But a thorny sixth game of the match saw the Chinese star break her serve, and go on a formidable seven-game run to clinch the opening set.
Remarkably, this is the second time at this tournament that Zheng has stared down the barrel of being ‘bagelled’ – losing a set to love – having roared back from the same scoreline in the third set against Madison Keys.
Defeating Keys booked Zheng her spot on Ashe on Monday, and she proved her staying power by chasing the consecutive comeback with a confident 6-3 winning of the second set.
Swiatek cut a defensive figure in the pressroom as she questioned why a reporter considered the collapse of her five-game lead to be extraordinary, firing back pointedly at him.
Iga Swiatek fell in straight sets despite leading 5-0 in the opening stages of her last-16 match
Zheng Qinwen is experiencing a dazzling return to form after time spent in the wilderness recovering from injury
The player had been asked what experiences in her career were ‘comparable’ to this match, and how she might have ‘bounced back’ before.
‘Honestly, every US Open except 2022 has been like that,’ Swiatek replied. ‘We face many losses, so obviously it’s not the best thing to say, but, like, in tennis, you’re more used to losing than winning.
‘So I don’t feel like I need to bounce back from anything. Just need to focus on the work before next tournaments, and there are going to be other chances to play good tennis, and I will focus on growing and developing my game. That’s it.’
But, the reporter queried, specifically he had meant that the 5-0 lost set, and how she planned to ‘grow’ from it.
This time, Swiatek had a more tense response, responding curtly ‘It’s just one match, like…’
What followed was a long and uncomfortable silence where she tried to understand the reporter’s question, before continuing: ‘I’ll try to play the same way as usual.
‘What do you mean, like, what? Do you think it’s something crazy?
‘You can lose a set from any score, so nothing special about that. Just that’s what happened and that’s it.’
Zheng will now look forward to a spot in the quarter-final, as she bids to become the first Grand Slam winner who featured in the qualifying rounds since Emma Raducanu’s miracle run in 2021.
Raducanu’s success five years ago marks the first and last time a qualifier has won a major, but Zheng’s pedigree could see her continue to threaten higher-ranked players.
Currently sitting at world No121, former top-10 star Zheng saw her ranking tumble after a lengthy injury layoff.
But those she meets on-court are aware of how deceptive her current ranking will be, due to her status as a former Australian Open finalist, and the 2024 Olympic champion.
Zheng beat Swiatek in her semi-final in Paris before claiming Olympic gold two years ago, in her only previous defeat of the Polish star.
