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)