Qinwen Zheng WTA US Open 2026 Madison Keys

The miracle of Qinwen Zheng: from 0-5 down to an epic victory

Carlos Navarro - 5 Sep 2026
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Zheng and the Miracle of the US Open.

The Miracle of New York. This is the only way to qualify what Qinwen Zheng has achieved in the third round of the 2026 US Open, one of those victories that we will revisit at the end of the season for the development of an inexplicable script. The Chinese player, who passed the qualifying round in the midst of a season of rebirth, is gaining in American lands the confidence she needed to return to the elite... and her triumph over Madison Keys (1-6, 7-6, 7-5) could be the true turning point for her to shine again.

The score already presents a scenario in which Qinwen was able to turn around an absolutely overwhelming start from her opponent. Going further, however, leaves us with one of the miracles of the tennis year, an exercise of unbreakable faith from the Chinese player and a terrifying collapse from the American. Keys was up 5-0! in the third set, had a match point at 5-1, 40-30, and serve... and ended up conceding seven consecutive games to lose the match. It is, without a doubt, the definition of inexplicable.

This is why Qinwen Zheng made a comeback in the match of the year at the US Open

The Chinese player couldn't believe what she had accomplished, throwing herself to the ground, celebrating a dramatic victory that brings her back to the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time in several months. "I told myself that I had to hold my serve, fight for every point, be there. Little by little, the magic happened. Finally, for once in my life, a little luck has fallen on my side. In my last match, I was also able to come back; it's the first time in my career that this has happened to me, coming back from 0-5. It has been a dramatic match, but we both played very good tennis," Zheng stated while thanking the audience for their support despite facing a local favorite.

This US Open has been pure drama for the Asian player, who needed to overcome the qualifying round to return to compete in New York... and since then, she has shown nothing but guts and daring to come out of tight situations, winning all her matches in three sets. An adventure like this is not a coincidence... and makes Qinwen, for the first time in a long time, a strong candidate to dream in New York.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El milagro de Qinwen Zheng: del 0-5 abajo a un triunfo épico