Come for the tennis, stay for the drama

QINWEN ZHENG WON BOTH OF THESE SETS IN BACK-TO-BACK MATCHES 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯

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— The Tennis Letter (@thetennisletter.bsky.social) September 7, 2026 at 11:47 AM

Pro tennis is dramatic by nature, and WTA tennis is known for sometimes adding that extra something to the mix. But I doubt if anyone was expecting the Zheng Qinwen Show. Zheng, who was a finalist at the 2024 Australian Open and who demonstrated great potential from the moment she entered the tour, has recently had to find her way back from a lengthy injury break. The Chinese star had elbow injury in July of 2025, and didn't return to the tour until February of this year. 

Zheng had to qualify to play in this year's U.S. Open. Having won her three qualifying rounds, she proceeded to defeat world number 125 Kristina Liutova, and then--in the second round--the often tricky Yulia Putintseva; that match lasted over two and a half hours. But that was just a warmup for the main (so far) part of the Show: In the third round, Zheng came back from 0-5 in the third set to defeat Madison Keys. Granted, Keys was feeling out of sorts, and is also known for sometimes transforming victory into defeat, but nevertheless--drama.

Today, in the continuation of round of 16 play, Zheng faced 2022 champion Iga Swiatek, and suddenly, she found herself down 0-5 in the first set. No problem--the world number 121 won that set 7-5, then went on to win the second set 6-3. In doing so, Zheng became the first qualifier (or lucky loser) to beat Swiatek at a major. 

In another exciting round of 16 match, Roland-Garros champion Mirra Andreeva faced off against former countrywoman Anastasia Potapova, who has been playing some excellent tennis lately. Potapova won the fist set 7-5, Andreeva won the second, 6-4, and--just as Potapova was fighting to stay in the match at 3-5 in the third--she fell and hurt her knee. Potapova received treatment, but the knee wrap wasn't enough to bring her movement back to where it had been; Andreeva won the set 6-3.

Swiatek wasn't the only former U.S. Open champion to exit in the round of 16 today. Two-time champion Naomi Osaka lost in straight sets to Elena Rybakina, who achieved her 6-1, 6-4 score with a scary first serve win percentage of 87. She also hit 29 winners and made only 17 unforced errors. The two-time major champion, who has yet to drop a set, now advances to her first U.S. Open quarterfinal. Rybakina had to retire in Cincinnati because of a foot injury, but that appears to be resolved.

In today's final round of 16 match, 2023 champion Coco Gauff played against countrywoman Iva Jovic, who had all that she could deal with in the first set, which Gauff won 6-1. Jovic began playing better in the second set, but she couldn't play well enough to stop Gauff, who defeated her 6-1, 6-4. 

 Here is the quarterfinal draw:

Aryna Sabalenka (1) v. Linda Noskova (6)
Jessica Pegula (3) v. Emma Navarro (26)
Mirra Andreeva (5) v. Coco Gauff (4)
Zheng Qinwen (Q) v. Elena Rybakina (2)

Evonne Goolagong's strange U.S. Open record

Though Maria Sharapova holds the unusual record of losing five Miami finals and never winning the event, Evonne Goolagong (who, in 1975, became Evonne Goolagong Cawley) holds an even more unusual record: She never won the U.S. Open, but she lost four consecutive finals.

In 1973, Margaret Court defeated Goolagong in three sets. The next year, the Australian star was defeated by Billie Jean King, also in three sets. In 1975, she won only one game against King. And in 1976, Chris Evert defeated Goolagong Cawley 6-3, 6-0. 

Googlagong Cawley would compete in the U.S. Open one more time, in 1979, and would lose in the quarterfinals to Evert. 

Goolagong and Evert had a serious rivalry that has been overshadowed by the remarkable rivalry of Evert and Martina Navratilova. The two had significantly different games, which made for great tennis theatre. They met 27 times, with Evert ruling the rivalry 19-8.

Goolagong Cawley holds seven major titles--four Australian Open, one Roland-Garros, and two Wimbledon (the second one came at the expense of Evert). 

I have Goolagong-Cawley to thank for my lifelong enthusiasm for women's professional tennis. I was in London, visiting relatives, and Wimbledon was in session. My relatives kept the television on the tournament the entire time I was there, though I don't recall any of them watching it for very long. But I did--because I was mesmerized by graceful athleticism of the young woman with the musical name. To my delight, she won the tournament. I would later also become a major Chris Evert fan.

 

Top seed and two-time defending champion Sabalenka advances to U.S. Open quarterfinals

Linda Noskova wins 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 vs Marta Kostyuk Linda was thinking not again after she had 2 match points when serving for the 2nd set but she gets across the line on match point #6. Becoming a master of bouncing back in the 3rd after not closing it out in 2.

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— Tennis Updates (@tennisupdates.bsky.social) September 6, 2026 at 2:18 PM

World number 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who won the U.S. Open in 2025 and 2026, advanced to the quarterfinals today when she defeated Taylor Townsend in straight sets. Sabalenka has not won a major this year, though she did reach the final of the Australian Open. 

Also advancing was Wimbledon champion 6th seed Linda Noskova, who defeated 11th seed Marta Kostyuk 7-5, 5-7, 6-4. This was, as expected (at least, by me) a riveting match, with plenty of momentum swings. The stats are interesting: Kostyuk hit nine aces, Noskova hit none. Kostyuk had a first serve win percentage of 70, while Noskova's was 63. Kostyuk's winner-to-unforced error ratio was 36/33; Noskova's was 27/37. Kostyuk converted 71% of break points; Noskova converted 67%. (Noskova did better with her second serve than Kostyuk did.)

Those stats deserve one of those Linda Noskova Won This Match graphics. The young Czech star needed six match points to win it (Kostyuk saved two of then in dramatic fashion to force a third set.) She never gave up against a very athletic player who can drive opponents crazy, and she came through on a lot of really big points. "... I feel like a huge rock fell off my heart at the end," Noskova said after the two-and-a-half-hour match.

3rd seed Jessica Pegula defeated Sorana Cirstea 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the quarterfinals for the fourth time in her career. The scoreline looks a bit boring, but--despite some inconsistency from both players--it was a good match. Cirstea, who is set to retire at the end of this season, has enjoyed the best season of her career in 2026. There was an especially nice moment between the players at the net following the match.

In today's final round of 16 match, Emma Navarro defeated Anna Kalinskaya 6-4. Kalinskaya survived her third round match, in which she double-faulted fourteen times, but she was simply too inconsistent against an always-steady Navarro, alternating flashes of brilliance with moments of frustration-driven shot-making. 

One week in, and the U.S. Open is already a collection of notable stories

Queen-wen Returns! After fighting her way through qualifying and two main draw matches, Zheng Qinwen pulls off a stunning comeback to reach the 4th round at the US Open The reigning Olympic gold medalist rallies from a 0-5 deficit in the final set, winning the final 7 games to topple Madison Keys

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— Tick Tock Tennis (@ticktocktennis.bsky.social) September 5, 2026 at 12:40 PM

A lot has happened since main draw play began at the 2026 U.S. Open. Two-time major champion Barbora Krejcikova lost (again) in the first round, the Williams sisters played (and lost) a long and entertaining doubles match, Karolina Muchova went from brilliant to befuddled, and Emma Navarro and Lois Boisson gave us a visual that ranks among the best of its kind when the victorious Navarro celebrated her victory in juxtaposition to Boisson's Zvonareva-level racket breaking.

And then there was the crowd. There is no longer any question--the U.S. crowd is more ill-behaved than even the French, who--for a long time--held the title. Among the drinking, the marijuana smoking, the policy that lets ticket-holders take their seats whenever they want, and the addition of a group of ill-behaving influencers (I hate it when I have to use that word), things have gotten out of control. In my opinion, anyone who disrupts play in any way--after one warning--should be escorted out of the stadium. I know--good luck with that.

Czechs are generally fixtures in the second week of majors, but--as of now--there is only one Czech standing. Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova, seeded 6th, was put to a hard test in the third round by Ann Li, but she passed it. Krejcikova made it to the round of 16 at Wimbledon, but lost in the first round in all the other majors this season. A victim of the Czech Curse, Krejcikova just doesn't seem herself after her long injury and illness struggle. 

As for Muchova--after delivering bagels in both her first and second round matches--she simply could not find her serve in her third round match against Emma Navarro. Rising star Nikola Bartunkova gave Mirra Andreeva an excellent fight in the second set, but Andreeva prevailed, 6-2, 7-6 (5). And finally, in the third round, Marie Bouzkova gave it her all against 2022 champion Iga Swiatek, but Swiatek advanced with a 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3) victory. This was such a close match, and Bouzkova, despite losing, certainly played some of her best tennis.

Sorana Cirstea, playing in her (probably) final U.S. Open, continues to show the best of her game. The Romanian veteran, who is having one hell of a season, defeated Jasmine Paolini in the third round. Also in the third round, Anna Kalinskaya-- despite double-faulting fourteen times--defeated Elina Svitolina in a momentum-shifting three-set match. If Kalinskaya can get the serving problem under control, she has the power and accuracy to keep going at this event.

3rd seed Jessica Pegula had to come back from a 1-6 first set against Leylah Fernandez in the third round, while the ever-evolving Marta Kostyuk, seeded 11th, defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova in straight sets, and the unseeded Taylor Towsend upset 15th seed Diana Shnaider. 

And then there was Madison Keys. who--up 5-0 in the third set--lost to a resurgent Zheng Qinwen.  This sort of thing happens rarely, but it does happen. After the match, Keys said: “I obviously got off to a really good lead, and then I just got really scared, like I couldn't swing. Tennis just feels really hard right now, so I feel like that kind of took over."

A highly anticipated match was the third round clash between close friends Iva Jovic and Alex Eala, two of the tour's youngest, most promising stars. They did not disappoint. Jovic experienced what appeared to be a slight leg injury, but it didn't appear to hamper her too much. There were several momentum swings during the match, and Jovic was down 2-4 in the third set, but fought her way back. Eala then saved a match point at 4-5, but--after over three hours--Jovic prevailed, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5. This was a splendid match by any standard.

Here is the round of 16 draw:

Aryna Sabalenka (1) v. Taylor Townsend 
Marta Kostyuk (11) v. Linda Noskova (6)
Jessica Pegula (3) v. Sorana Cirstea (16)
Anna Kalinskaya (21) v. Emma Navarro (26)
Mirra Andreeva (5) v. Anastasia Potapova (24)
Iva Jovic (14 ) v. Coco Guaff (4)
Iga Swiatek (8) v. Zheng Quinwen
Naomi Osaka (13) v. Elena Rybakina (2)

Coco Gauff wins Cincinnati, and it feels like '23

In just the second all-American women's singles final at the Cincinnati Open since 1970, Coco Gauff defeated Jessica Pegula to win the WTA 1000 event. It was Gauff's second Cincinnati Open title. My @tennistourtalk.bsky.social story 🎾 #tennis #CincyTennis tennistourtalk.com/136989/gauff...

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— Michael Dickens (@michaelcdickens.bsky.social) August 24, 2026 at 5:59 AM

Earlier this month, I wondered--after Rybakina, Andreeva and Noskova--who would be next to win a major in 2026? And after the last couple of weeks in Cincinnati, one would be very likely to say "Coco Gauff." The 22-year-old two-time major champion quite obviously went with the Angie Kerber "identify it, own it, fix it" school of problem-solving, and has brought her game to new level. It seemed almost unreal to see her dismantle Jessica Pegula--who was in peak form throughout the Cincinnati Open--6-2, 6-4 in the final.

This was Gauff's first title of the season, but it was a big one. She won Cincinnati in 2023, too, then went to Flushing Meadows and won the U.S. Open. It could happen again.

In the meantime, Elena Rybakina injured her achilles in Cincinnati and had to retire from her quarterfinal match; one hopes that she'll be healthy for the U.S. Open. And Iga Swiatek, who recently won her first title of the season in Toronto, looked good in Cincinnati, but was stopped by Pegula in a close match in the semifinals. 

The U.S. Open title is certainly up for grabs, but there's no denying now that Gauff is a major contender. 

Few things are inevitable, but this came close

The 2026 Cincinnati Open has given us a number of exciting and deeply competitive matches, plus the bonus of a breakthrough performance by the young Czech player, Sara Bejlek. And in tennis, anything can happen--and often does--but all along, it seemed that it would be very difficult to stop either Jessica Pegula or Coco Gauff. And sure enough, those two will meet in tonight's final.

The semifinal match played between Pegula and defending champion Iga Swiatek was a contest marked by constant momentum shifts, with Pegula finally prevailing at 7-5, 4-6, 6-4. It was the sixth time that the USA's top-ranked player had defeated Swiatek (she is now 6-7 against the Polish star).

Pegula, known among fans as Ms. Consistency (and in Charleston, as Three-Set Jess) is known for her cool head and her patience--the win against Swiatek was Pegula's third consecutive three-set match, and her seventeenth of the season. "I think," Pegula said, "that it's the way that I play."

For her part, Gauff faced an obviously tired Bejlek, who simply did look like the player who had taken out Barbora Krejcikova, top seed Aryna Sabalenka, and Madison Keys. Was it a fitness issue, a heat issue, or--at least partly--an emotional reaction to suddenly being on a very big stage? Most likely, it was a little of each. It didn't help  that Gauff put on what amounted to as an advanced tennis clinic during their match, winning eight of the last nine games, and thrilling spectators with her speed and variety.

Pegula is 5-4 against Gauff, with four of those matches played on hard courts. 

Paths to the final:

COCO GAUFF (4)

round 1--bye

round 2--d. Liudmila Samsonova 

round 3--d. Ann Li (28)

round 4--d. Marie Bouzkova (22)

quarterfinals--d. Marta Kostyuk (10)

semifinals--d. Sara Bejlek

JESSICA PEGULA (3)

round 1--bye

round 2--d. Simona Waltert
round 
round 3--d. Emma Navarro (25
)
round 4--d. Sorana Cirstea (15)

quarterfinals--d. Amanda Anisimova (9)

semifinals--d. Iga Swiatek (7) 

And we have doubles champions: Marie Bouzkova and Linda Noskova defeated Magali Kempen and Alexandra Panova 6-1, 6-2 in the final. This is the Czech team's first title together.

Despite the Czech Curse, Czech tennis keeps on keeping on

🎾 #Tennis #CincyTennis #CincinnatiOpen #CincyOpen Sara Bejlek defeats the WTA #1 Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets. Aryna was cruising up 4 games to 1 & then Sara took the last 5 games. I don't really understand what just happened.

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— Mark Taylor (@emarktaylor.bsky.social) August 19, 2026 at 11:32 PM

Karolina Muchova, probably the most injured player on the tour, withdrew from this year's Cincinnati Open in order to take care of her body in preparation fort the U.S. Open. Muchova has looked good lately, but fans of the Czech artist always hold their collective breath because--the injuries seem to always be lurking in the background. Barbora Krejcikova, victim of the Czech Curse Double--both injury and illness--is back on the tour, but she sometimes appears vulnerable--and tired. Such was the case when she played countrywoman Sara Bejlek in the second round. Bejlek defeated the two-time major champion 7-6 (5), 6-4.

Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova made it to the round of 16, in which she lost in straight sets to an on-fire Amanda Anisimova. But Bejlek was still standing, and would go on to defeat top seed and 2025 champion Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets in that same round. The 20-year-old lefty then went on to defeat Madison Keys in the quarterfinals, in a highly competitive match in which the Czech player was down 3-6, 1-3.  Bejlek is only five feet, three inches tall, but she's very quick, and she plays a great defensive game. (She will undoubtedly gain the "feisty" label from commentators.) 

Bejlek gained a lot of attention this year when--playing as a qualifier, and ranked number 101 in the world-she won the Abu Dhabi title. In that event, she defeated Alona Ostapenko, Clara Tauson and--in the final-- Ekaterina Alexandrova. 

Coco Gauff advanced to the semifinals tonight when she defeated Marta Kostyuk 6-2, 6-2. This was a match that probably "should" have been more competitive, but Kostyuk' second serve let her down repeatedly.

Defending champion Iga Swiatek has looked good in Cincinnati, and she was the recipient of an unfortunate gift yesterday when opponent Elena Rybakina had to retire from their quarterfinal because of an achillies injury. And in a close, exciting match, Jessica Pegula defeated countrywoman Amanda Anisimova 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (4). 

Here is the semifinal draw:

Sara Bejlek v. Coco Gauff (4)
Jessica Pegula (3) v. Iga Swiatek (7) 

In doubles, the unseeded team of Magali Kempen and Alexandra Panova upset 5th seeds Hsieh Su-wie and Alona Ostapenko in the semifinals, and will face another unseeded team, Marie Bouzkova and Linda Noskova, in the final.