Zheng Qinwen of China continued her impressive US Open run, defeating Croatian Donna Vekic in a thrilling three-set match to secure her spot in the quarterfinals. The match, a rematch of their Paris 2024 Olympics title clash, went down to the wire, concluding at 2:15 am on Monday, making it the latest finishing women’s match in the tournament’s history.
The late-night thriller at Arthur Ashe Stadium saw both players battling back and forth, with Zheng ultimately prevailing 7-6(2), 4-6, 6-2. “It’s always nice to play in the night session because I’m used to it. It’s the first time I’ve played here in New York at two in the morning. It’s unbelievable,” said Zheng, expressing her gratitude to the fans who stayed up to support her. “Thanks to the fans that aren’t sleeping tonight, supporting me here.”
Zheng’s victory sets her on a path to potentially become the fourth woman in history to achieve the rare feat of winning both Olympic gold and the US Open title in the same year. Serena Williams (2012), Venus Williams (2000), and Steffi Graf (1988) are the only other players to have accomplished this feat. Her next opponent will be second seed Aryna Sabalenka, who she lost to in the Australian Open final earlier this year.
The first set was a tightly contested battle, with Vekic putting up strong resistance. However, Zheng raised her level in the tiebreaker to take the set after an hour of intense play. The second set saw Vekic break Zheng early, but she quickly surrendered her own serve as Zheng kept the pressure on. Vekic eventually broke Zheng’s serve again in the tenth game to level the match.
In the deciding set, Zheng held her nerve and took control, ultimately closing out the match with a decisive 6-2 victory. “She’s really tough to play on hard courts, she put a lot of pressure on me,” said Zheng, acknowledging Vekic’s tenacity. “At Roland Garros, I was in control. But today she hit really aggressively. It was tough for me to play against her. It was a really nice victory for me.”
Zheng’s victory over Vekic, a tough opponent on hard courts, demonstrates her resilience and determination as she continues her quest for US Open glory. Her next matchup against Sabalenka promises to be another exciting and challenging match.
