Zheng Qinwen's US Open Comeback: What It Means for 2027

Zheng Qinwen has reached the quarterfinals of the 2026 US Open as a qualifier ranked No. 121, after elbow surgery dropped the 2024 Olympic champion from a top ranking of No. 4 (AP). She beat No. 8 seed Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-3 in the fourth round on Monday, September 7, coming back from 0-5 down in the first set. Elena Rybakina is next, for a place in the semifinals.

Update, November 2, 2026: Rybakina beat Zheng 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in the quarterfinal on September 9, a result that made Rybakina world No. 1. Zheng said afterward: "I got a lot of chances in the third set, but I didn't take it."

What Happened

Zheng came through qualifying to reach the main draw. In the third round she trailed Madison Keys 0-5 in a set and still won 1-6, 7-6(3), 7-5. Two days later she did it again against Swiatek: from 0-5 down she won seven games in a row to take the first set 7-5, then the second 6-3. She is the first qualifier to reach the women's quarterfinals in New York since Emma Raducanu in 2021, and it is her first Grand Slam quarterfinal since Roland-Garros 2025.

The Rest of the Quarterfinal Field

Rybakina reached the last eight by beating former champion Naomi Osaka in the fourth round. Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka, who is chasing a third straight title, are also through. On the men's side, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz plays Ben Shelton, who beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in the fourth round. The quarterfinals are played September 8 and 9.

A Familiar Stage

Zheng won Olympic singles gold at Roland-Garros in 2024, and in 2025 she reached the Roland-Garros quarterfinals, where she lost to Aryna Sabalenka. Her win in New York came against a four-time Roland-Garros champion; see our Iga Swiatek player profile, and check who else is chasing next year's title in our 2027 player entry list.

What It Means for Roland-Garros 2027

A player who has won Olympic gold and reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal on the same clay, and who has climbed back to the second week of a major from outside the top 100, is worth watching next spring. If her elbow holds up, she is one of the more interesting names for Roland-Garros 2027 (May 17 to June 6). The men's field was reshaped at the same US Open by Novak Djokovic's first-round exit and Jannik Sinner's withdrawal; catch up on both in our Djokovic recap and Sinner withdrawal story.

Planning Ahead for Roland-Garros 2027

Roland-Garros publishes its 2027 sale dates on tickets.rolandgarros.com. GoalTickets, the independent resale marketplace that runs this site, lists resale tickets, usually above face value. Explore our player profiles to get to know the contenders.

Sources: Tennis Majors and AP (fourth round, September 7, 2026), AP (quarterfinal, September 9, 2026), Wikipedia (2026 US Open women's singles). Checked November 2, 2026.