The most important takeaway from 12 days at the US Open is simple: do not, by any means, lead 5-0 against Zheng Qinwen. No scoreline is as hazardous. On Friday, the former Australian Open champion Madison Keys learned this lesson the hard way as she led Zheng 5-0 in the final set of an intense tussle before Zheng, the Olympic gold medallist, rolled through seven consecutive games to win the match.
Somehow, two days later, Zheng repeated the trick in her very next set against a greater opponent. Down 5-0 in the opening set of her fourth‑round match against the six-time grand slam title winner Iga Swiatek, Zheng again locked down her game and reeled off seven games in a row to take the set. Zheng refused to let it go as she pulled off one of the best wins of her career, reaching the US Open quarter‑finals with a 7-5, 6-3 victory.
