By Shrivathsa Sridhar
NEW YORK, Sept 5 (Reuters) – Zheng Qinwen returned from elbow surgery this year feeling like she had forgotten how to compete, but China’s Olympic champion said on Saturday that a run from qualifying to the fourth round of the U.S. Open helped reignite her fire.
The 23-year-old Zheng has largely struggled to replicate the form that carried her to the gold medal at the Paris Games two years ago, with a chronic injury stalling her progress and forcing her to undergo surgery last summer.
After an initial comeback attempt in September, the Chinese player stepped away again before returning in February, only to discover that recovering physically was easier than finding her competitive instincts.
But having come through three rounds of qualifying and made a strong start to the year’s final Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows, she stunned former finalist and 22nd seed Madison Keys 1-6 7-6(3) 7-5 to progress to the last 16.
“After coming back from injury … I forgot how to compete,” Zheng told reporters.
“I had a lot of emotions when I was playing the qualifiers. I was crying after I won the third match to reach the main draw. The main draw is just the beginning where all the players start.
“So I fought so hard just to start like everyone else. For me, that was really not easy.”
Early defeats during the North American hardcourt swing at Washington and Toronto had prompted Zheng to skip another of the U.S. Open tune-up events in Cincinnati to focus on a training block, a decision she credited for her resurgence.
“When I decided not to play Cincinnati and make a block of training with my team, I accepted that I really needed to play qualifiers at the U.S. Open. We’ve been working really hard to try and make a good result here,” Zheng said.
“But I never thought about results, because I just want to fight in every single match and bring the energy in each match, and see what happens.
“What’s happened in the past three to four months is, first of all, I don’t have the right energy to play tennis. Then, second, maybe my level or my body shape wasn’t enough good to be at the top level.
“But after this block of training, I felt really I’ve come back stronger physically and also mentally.”
Zheng, who reached the Australian Open final in 2024, will next face six-times major champion Iga Swiatek.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in New York; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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