WHAT HAPPENED: We don’t know yet if Zheng Qinwen has ever been on a rollercoaster before, but what we do know is ... after Saturday, her ride at the 2023 US Open will continue into Labor Day.
Zheng has taken a couple of quantum leaps during her successful 2023 season, on her way to fulfilling the promise that the 20-year-old might be the successor to Li Na and become the next Grand Slam singles champion from China. The next step in that progression was taken on Court 5 on Saturday, as the No. 23 seed slugged her way to a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 win over Lucia Bronzetti of Italy in a 2-hour, 39-minute thriller.
Zheng moves into the US Open Round of 16 for the first time after reaching the third round in Flushing Meadows a year ago.
Zheng looked all but ready to close out a straight-sets win, after a 26-point, 10-deuce game ended with a running backhand lob winner, as well as a break of serve to leave her two games away from the match at 4-3 in the second set.
As wild as that game was, that was only the beginning of what proved to be a dizzying end to this thrill-a-minute match.
Buckle up.
Down that break, Bronzetti roared back to win the final three games of the second set, breaking Zheng twice to force a deciding set. Zheng came back from 15-40 to break Bronzetti to start the third, then dug out of a 15-40 hole on her serve to consolidate the break. Bronzetti responded by winning the next four games, leaving her two games away from a first-ever Round of 16 at a major. Zheng roared back and exploded past the finish line, winning the final three games of the match.
Thank you, passengers. The ride is over. Zheng, we’ll see you next time in the US Open on Labor Day.
WHAT IT MEANS: Zheng’s stellar 2023 includes a trip to the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 event in Rome, a result that launched her into the Top 20 of the WTA rankings and made her the fifth Chinese woman to reach the Top 20. (Li Na, Wang Qiang, Peng Shuai and Zheng Jie are the other four.)
MATCH POINT: Zheng, 20, is the second-youngest player currently in the Top 40 of the WTA rankings, only behind 19-year-old Coco Gauff.
