LAST UPDATE | 20 hrs ago

COMEBACK QUEEN QINWEN Zheng pulled off another incredible escape act to knock former champion Iga Swiatek out of the US Open.

They say 2-0 is a dangerous lead in football, but if you are playing Zheng at tennis then 5-0 is the scoreline to beware.

The qualifier from China was 5-0 and match point down in the deciding set against American Madison Keys in the previous round, and somehow came back to win.

So when Polish eighth seed Swiatek won the first five games of the opening set, Zheng did not panic.

She simply won the next seven, and then continued to overpower shellshocked Swiatek in the second set to pull off another astonishing win, 7-5 6-3.

“Wow!” said the 23-year-old. “Honestly, I started the match not so well, but I found my rhythm.

“I just focused point by point and started to find my game. I even forgot the score in the first set. I guess to come back from 5-0 again is not lucky.”

Zheng, an Olympic gold medal winner and former Australian Open finalist, had to come through qualifying just to make the main draw at Flushing Meadows after slipping down the rankings following elbow surgery.

She is now the first qualifier to reach the quarter-finals since Emma Raducanu won the tournament in 2021.

Anastasia Potopova was in floods of tears as her stay in New York came to an end.

The 25-year-old Austrian won the first set against fifth seed Mirra Andreeva, but, at 5-3 down in the third she badly twisted her knee chasing a forehand down.

Potopova had the knee heavily strapped up and bravely finished the match, but did not win another point as French Open champion Andreeva triumphed 5-7 6-4 6-3.

Meanwhile, Coco Gauff won the all-American Labour Day showdown against teenager Iva Jovic to reach the quarter-finals.

The 22-year-old, bidding for a second Flushing Meadows title, overpowered Jovic 6-1 6-4 on a balmy bank holiday night in New York.

An impressive victory set up a last-eight meeting with Andreeva, whom Gauff has beaten in all five of their career meetings. 

A jittery start from the 2023 winner gifted 18-year-old Jovic a break in the first game with a double fault.

But Jovic’s nerves were also on show as Gauff raced away with the next six games to take the first set.

Jovic finally held serve at the start of the second but three spectacular Gauff hustles, turning desperate defence into all-out attack, secured a break for 3-2.

The youngster managed to hit straight back, but was then broken to love as Gauff took control before serving out to win in an hour and 33 minutes.

Gauff, yet to drop a set so far, said: “Iva’s an incredible player, an incredible talent, she plays beyond her years. I’m used to being the younger American!”

Two-time former champion Naomi Osaka revealed she is carrying an Achilles injury after she was knocked out 6-1 6-4 by Elena Rybakina.

“Yesterday I got an ultrasound, and then I got an ultrasound again just now,” said the 28-year-old from Japan.

“I’m probably going to go get an MRI, because honestly, I don’t really know too much about what’s going on.”

There was disappointment for the home nation in the men’s draw as 20-year-old Learner Tien, the 14th seed, lost a marathon five-setter to Russian Karen Khachanov.

Frenchman Arthur Gea had a match point in the third set to make history by becoming the first lucky loser to reach a grand slam quarter-final in the Open era, but he ended up also losing in five to Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp.