WHAT HAPPENED: In an intense rematch between last month’s Paris Olympics finalists, gold medalist Zheng Qinwen again got the best of Donna Vekic, this time on the hard courts of the US Open in a much tighter contest, 7-6(2), 4-6, 6-2. After two hours and 50 minutes, the match ended at 2:15 a.m., making it the latest finish to a women's match in US Open history.
The win sends the No. 7 seed into the 2024 US Open quarterfinals for the second consecutive year, making her the first Chinese woman since Li Na to appear in the quarterfinals of the US Open on two occasions.
The 21-year-old Zheng executed a punishing baseline game, making this Round of 16 bout a very physical contest with Vekic. For those who stayed late in Arthur Ashe Stadium to catch the fourth-round match, it was one to remember. Not just because it was an Olympic final rematch on the stage of a major. Not even because it finished after 2 a.m. Monday. But because it was obvious both women wanted this match more than anything, and they left it all on the court into the wee hours of Labor Day.
“She's really tough to play on a hard court,” Zheng said of her opponent post-match. “Today she put a lot of pressure [on me], she hit really aggressive, so congratulations to her on her result. But it was a really nice victory for me. Thanks to all the fans who are not sleeping here in New York.”
The difference between each player was razor thin in the first set, as neither woman lost serve the entire frame, and they combined for a mere 13 unforced errors through the first 12 games. But when Vekic began missing in the tight moments during the tiebreak, Zheng ran away with the set to close it by a 7-2 margin.
Despite an early trade of breaks in the second, the rest of the set played out with neither woman budging on serve. That is, until Zheng found herself staring at a backhand winner from Vekic on set point to give the Croatian the break and send the match to a third set.
An opening break for Zheng put her in the driver’s seat quickly at the start of the decisive set, and as Vekic’s game began to crack, a second break of serve at love gave the Chinese No. 7 a 5-2 lead. Serving for the match on her second match point, Zheng clinched the win on a netted return from Vekic.
WHAT IT MEANS: Zheng’s ultimate test will come in the next round against a popular favorite for the title, No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka.
Against the 2023 runner-up and two-time Grand Slam titlist, Zheng trails 0-2, with the losses coming at the 2024 Australian Open and 2023 US Open. Zheng will need to bring her best tennis if she wants to continue her campaign into the second week here, as she has not yet won a set—or more than five games—in either of her matches against Sabalenka.
Vekic exits the US Open having not defeated a Top 10 opponent at a major since 2018 Wimbledon.
MATCH POINT: The 2:15 a.m. finish is the latest ever for a US Open women's match and the eighth-latest overall in New York. The 2:50 a.m. finish between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in the 2022 quarterfinals remains the late-night record, while Alexander Zverev and Tomas Martin Etcheverry battled until 2:35 a.m. earlier this fortnight, the second-latest end time.
