Intro: Gauff and Rybakina powered into the U.S. Open quarter-finals as Zheng stunned Swiatek in another dramatic New York upset.
New York
Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina advanced to the U.S. Open quarter-finals, while China’s Zheng Qinwen produced another remarkable comeback to upset six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek.
Fourth seed Gauff delivered a dominant performance against fellow American Iva Jovic, winning 6-1, 6-4 at Flushing Meadows. The victory set up a quarter-final meeting with French Open champion Mirra Andreeva, with a place in the semi-finals at stake.
Gauff said she expects another difficult contest against Andreeva, who has emerged as one of the leading players on the women’s tour. Gauff is among six American players to reach the quarter-finals, alongside Jessica Pegula, Emma Navarro, Frances Tiafoe, Alex Michelsen and Ben Shelton.
Second seed Rybakina also continued her bid for a third Grand Slam title with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over former U.S. Open champion Naomi Osaka. Osaka was hampered by an Achilles tendon injury that had flared up during the previous round.
The victory moved Rybakina within one win of becoming world number one for the first time. She will face Olympic champion Zheng in the quarter-finals.
Zheng’s progress came after another extraordinary fightback against Swiatek, who had won six Grand Slam titles. The Chinese player’s victory added another major upset to an increasingly unpredictable tournament.
Meanwhile, top seed Alexander Zverev advanced with a 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(3) win over Italy’s Luciano Darderi. The German, bidding for his second Grand Slam title after winning the French Open in June, avenged his earlier defeat by Darderi in Rome.