Zheng Qinwen’s return to the U.S. Open quarterfinals is a reminder that her level remains higher than her ranking suggests. Just months after elbow surgery in July 2025 and a series of setbacks, the 23-year-old has rebuilt enough to produce one of the most impressive runs of the tournament.
On Saturday, Zheng came back from a 5-0 deficit in the deciding set to beat Madison Keys, then moved into Wednesday’s quarterfinal against Elena Rybakina. It was the kind of result that underlines both her resilience and her status as one of the most dangerous players still standing in New York.
Why this run matters
The scale of the comeback is important because Zheng has not simply returned to competition. She has returned after losing momentum, losing ranking ground and having to rebuild her game after surgery on a chronic right elbow injury.
In June 2025, Zheng had reached a career-high No. 4. That only makes the contrast sharper now, because her talent clearly remains at a level that can trouble the very best players in a Grand Slam draw.
Her progress has also come after a difficult year. Zheng ended her French Open in tears after a first-round loss, and she was then bounced in Wimbledon’s opening round. For a player who had been among the rising stars of the sport, those defeats made the recovery period feel even more significant.
On Monday, Zheng said at a news conference that the French Open defeat was one of the toughest losses for her to accept.
“That (French Open) loss … is one of the toughest for me to accept because I got lot of chance in that match. Even right now, I could remember how I missed those chances,” she said.
From injury setback to major-stage response
The background to this run helps explain why the U.S. Open quarterfinal appearance has resonated so strongly. Zheng had to rebuild after surgery and a setback in recovery, yet she has still found a way back into the business end of a Grand Slam.
She had already shown how quickly the following around her can grow. Zheng became China’s biggest tennis star since Li Na, and that profile only increased after China’s first gold medal in tennis at the 2024 Paris Olympics. In 2024, she played in the Australian Open final and later won Olympic gold in Paris, establishing herself as a genuine force at the top of the women’s game.
That is what makes this latest run feel so important. The ranking may not yet reflect it fully, but Zheng is again showing that she belongs in the late rounds of the biggest tournaments.
She summed up the comeback against Keys in simple terms.
“Wow. What can I say? Wow,” Zheng said. “I guess to come back again from 0-5, that’s not lucky.”
On Wednesday, the next test is Elena Rybakina. If Zheng is able to carry this level forward again, the quarterfinal will say even more about her recovery than any ranking ever could.
