On the ninth day of the 2026 US Open in New York, Elena Ryabkina and Qinwen Zheng confirmed that in tennis, sometimes what matters more than the start is the ability not to break when everything goes wrong.
Ryabkina confidently dispatched Naomi Osaka in the second round of the quarterfinals, 6:1, 6:4, in 66 minutes. The Kazakh No. 2 dominated from the first serve, not allowing her opponent a single break and hitting 29 winners. For Osaka, the 13th seed, this was another reminder of how an Achilles injury and inconsistency hinder her return to her former level.
The main event of the day was Qinwen Zheng's victory over eighth-seeded Iga Swiatek, 7:5, 6:3. The Chinese player, who came through qualifying, for the second time in two matches erased a 0:5 deficit in a set. After losing the first five games, she won seven in a row and broke the will of the Polish champion, who failed to convert two set points.
Ryabkina and Zheng will meet in the quarterfinals. For Ryabkina, a win in this match almost guarantees a return to the top spot in the WTA rankings if she reaches the semifinals. Zheng, who has already reached the US Open quarterfinals three times, is showing that the comeback is her signature style at this tournament.
Meanwhile, Mirra Andreeva edged out Anastasia Potapova in a tough battle, 5:7, 6:4, 6:3, continuing her best result at the American major. The Russian world No. 5 looks increasingly confident, albeit not without nerves in the closing stages.
These results underscore that in modern tennis, mental resilience and the ability to adapt on the fly often outweigh raw power. Ryabkina is showing dominance, but it is Zheng, with her incredible comebacks, who is setting the tone at this US Open, a tournament where a five-game deficit is no longer a death sentence.
