Zheng overcomes Vekic in latest women’s finish at the US Open, faces Sabalenka in quarters
Zheng beat Donna Vekic 7-6 (2), 4-6, 6-2 to clinch her spot in the quarter-finals.
Qinwen Zheng US Open 2024 (Imago / Panoramic)
Qinwen Zheng, the No. 7 seed, and Croatia’s Donna Vekic, the No 24 seed, faced off at the US Open on Sunday, less than a month after their Olympic singles final which the Chinese player won.
In Paris on the clay courts of Roland-Garros, Zheng came out a winner in straight sets. On the hardcourts of the Billie Jean King Tennis Center, the two went toe-to-toe and produced one of the best women’s matches of the tournament so far.
In the first set, there were no service breaks and the set was decided by a tiebreaker which Zheng won 7-2. Vekic bounced back to take a 2-0 lead in the second set but then began to show signs of fatigue following a busy summer that included a Wimbledon semi-final run and the Olympic silver medal run.
Zheng broke back for 2-2 but came under pressure once again in the 10th game. At 5-4, Vekic converted her third set point and broke Zheng to level the match at one set apiece.
In the decider, it was Zheng who broke early to go up 2-0 and then again in the seventh game before serving out the match and completing the 7-6, 4-6, 6-2 win in two hours and 53 minutes.
Zheng-Vekic break US Open late finish record for women held by Sakkari-Andreescu
The match finished at 2.15 A.M., breaking the record for the latest finish of a women’s match at the US Open held by Maria Sakkari and Bianca Andreescu (2.13 A.M.) in 2021.
Zheng, ranked No. 7, will face Aryna Sabalenka, the second seed, for a spot in the semi-finals. The Chinese player trails Sabalenka 2-0 in head-to-head. She lost against the Belarusian in the Australian Open final this year as well as in the quarter-finals here 12 months ago.
Earlier in the tournament, the 21-year-old Chinese defeated American wildcard Amanda Anisimova (4-6, 6-4, 6-2), Russian Erika Andreeva (6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-2) and German Jule Niemeier (6-2, 6-1).
Vekic, ranked No. 24, beat Australian qualifier Kimberly Birrell (6-4, 6-4), Belgian Greet Minnen (7-5, 6-1), and American Peyton Stearns (7-5, 6-4) in the previous rounds.
New York (Grand Slam), other fourth round matches (USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, hard, USD 75,000,000):
- Aryna Sabalenka beat Elise Mertens (33): 6-2, 6-4
- Emma Navarro (13) beat Coco Gauff (3): 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
- Paula Badosa (26) beat Yafan Wang: 6-1, 6-2
- Iga Swiatek vs. Liudmila Samsonova
- Caroline Wozniacki vs. Beatriz Haddad Maia
- Diana Shnaider vs. Jessica Pegula
- Karolina Muchova vs. Jasmine Paolini
