NEW YORK — Zheng Qinwen was on her back with her arms in the air, celebrating a U.S. Open victory maybe only she believed was possible.
Madison Keys fought off tears as she tried to explain how Zheng, way down and all but out, somehow got the win.
Zheng, the 28-year-old from China who won the gold medal in women’s singles at the 2024 Paris Olympics, extended her return to New York on Saturday with a spectacular and stunning rally, winning the last seven games to eliminate No. 22 seed Keys, 1-6, 7-6 (3), 7-5, in the third round at the final Grand Slam tournament of the year.
“I feel like I obviously got off to a really good lead, and then I just got really — I mean, got really scared, like I couldn’t swing,” Keys said. “I don’t know. Tennis just feels really hard right now, so I feel like that kind of took over.”
Hours later, 13th-seeded Naomi Osaka joined Zheng in the fourth round by defeating Elise Mertens, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, in a match that lasted 2 hours, 38 minutes. The two-time U.S. Open women’s singles champion from Japan put her head on her racket after the final point, stunned herself at the victory.