Iga Swiatek’s difficult 2026 season reached another low point at the US Open, where Qinwen Zheng ended her run in the fourth round. Zheng won 7-5, 6-3, a result that confirms Swiatek will finish the year without a Grand Slam title for the first time since the 2021 season.

The defeat also underlined how rare a deep major run has been for the six-time Grand Slam champion this year. Swiatek has not reached a semi final at any major in 2026. Her Grand Slam results have been limited to fourth-round exits at the US Open and Roland Garros, a third-round loss at Wimbledon, and a quarter final showing at the Australian Open.

After the match, Swiatek gave a subdued press conference, but she made clear that she still expects to keep pushing through the closing stretch of the season. When asked about whether she might stop early to continue working with coach Francisco Roig, she replied: “I don’t intend to stop; I know I can improve my game. This second part of the season is better for me anyway.”

Swiatek has often produced her best tennis during the WTA Tour’s Asian swing, which may help explain her decision to remain on schedule through the end of the year. Her career titles in that part of the season include the Korea Open, the China Open, and the San Diego Open, all won between September and November.

She also lifted the WTA Finals in 2023 and will hope to find enough form to return to that event in 2026. The season-ending championship is being held at Indian Wells this year and is reserved for the top eight players in the race.

Swiatek is currently 10th in the standings, placing her outside the qualification spots. She sits behind Marta Kostyuk and Linda Noskova, with Noskova expected to qualify after her Wimbledon triumph. Two WTA 1000 events remain, the China Open and the Wuhan Open, so the picture can still change.

Swiatek will not play the Singapore Open, but she is entered for the China Open, which begins on September 30 and gives her more than three weeks before her next scheduled match.

Iga Swiatek’s US Open campaign ended in disappointing fashion, with Qinwen Zheng defeating her in straight sets and bringing a sudden close to her run at Flushing Meadows.

Swiatek started the match in command, racing to a 5-0 lead in the opening set. Yet the advantage slipped away, and Zheng turned the set around to win it 7-5. From there, Swiatek could not recover.

The defeat carried wider significance as well. It confirmed that Swiatek will not win a Grand Slam in a season for the first time since 2021. For a player who has collected six majors since her debut year in 2019, that absence stands out sharply.

Her summer on North American hard courts had suggested momentum was returning after her Canadian Open title, but her relationship with coach Francisco Roig again drew attention during the loss. Marion Bartoli, working courtside for Sky Sports Tennis, pointed to visible friction between the pair in the fourth-round match.

“I can tell you that at 15-40 [at 5-7, 2-3] when Iga Swiatek stepped in on the return and tried to take the wide serve early, Francisco Roig almost jumped out of his chair because that’s not a tactic he wants her to use,” said the Frenchwoman.

“He wants her to let the ball drop, stay far behind the baseline, and start the point. Fortunately for Iga Swiatek, she’s been trying to close out the point a fraction too early despite Francisco Roig’s advice and he’s not happy about it.”

Martina Navratilova also noted an unusual exchange from Swiatek’s box, saying, “I think she might have lost a little confidence in her box when they told her to get a looser racket because she’s missing balls,” said Navratilova. “That’s just a peculiar piece of advice. And now maybe she’s questioning everything.”

Swiatek’s exit also dropped her to world No 9 and ended another personal mark. Before losing to Zheng, she had never lost to a qualifier or lucky loser at a Grand Slam.

Her next likely return is during the WTA Tour’s Asian swing between September and November, which includes the China Open and the Wuhan Open.

Former British No. 1 Greg Rusedski has praised Alex Eala as the WTA Tour’s best returner in the world right now, while also drawing stylistic parallels with Jannik Sinner and Rafael Nadal.

Rusedski said, “When I watch her, she reminds me a little bit of   Rafael Nadal; the intensity she has on the court. And you look at her positioning with her body.

“She’s always at the same level with her height when she moves from the back of the court, almost a little bit reminiscent of the intensity of Rafael, but the level on height with the bending of the knees like   Jannik Sinner. So, it’s a brilliant combination she has. And the mindset is second to none.”

He then went further, adding, “S he’s probably the best return of serve player in the world at the moment. The way she can take it so early, take your time away. It doesn’t matter if she’s facing a big server or someone who’s serving slow, she’s willing to step in.”

That assessment, though, runs into the broader WTA return statistics for 2026, which point to a more nuanced picture. Across the official figures, different players lead different categories, making it difficult to crown a single dominant returner.

In the top 10 and Eala’s position at 18th, Iga Swiatek stands out as the strongest overall returner, leading three of the four main measures. Coco Gauff is second, with the best first-serve return points won mark in the group, while Mirra Andreeva is third and sits near the top 30 in three categories.

Eala, by contrast, ranks eighth in this 11-player comparison. Her numbers place her 100th for first-serve return points won, 67th for second-serve return points won, 75th for return games won, and 73rd for return points won.

The stats also come with a clear caveat. Many players in the sample have only played a handful of matches, which skews the picture. Even so, the available data do not support the idea that Eala is the best returner on tour at this point in the season.