Andy Roddick believes Iga Swiatek’s unexpected defeat at the 2026 US Open was driven by something beyond her tennis.

Swiatek went down 7-5, 6-3 to Zheng Qinwen, a 121st-ranked qualifier and former world No 4, in the fourth round of the hard-court major on Monday. The six-time Grand Slam champion had looked firmly in control after opening up a 5-0 lead in the first set, but the match swung sharply when she dropped the next seven games and failed to convert three set points on serve.

The former world No 1 now sits eighth in the rankings and has slipped to ninth in the Live WTA Rankings. By her own standards, it has been a challenging season, although she arrived in New York with encouraging momentum after winning the Canadian Open and reaching the semi-finals in Cincinnati.

On his Served podcast, Roddick offered a blunt reading of the loss. “Iga kind of fell apart a little bit. She said it. She was like, ‘I just started missing balls’,” said the 2003 US Open winner.

He went on to say: “You used to be able to bank on Iga. And listen, before I get into this criticism, I have an outsized amount of respect for what Iga has accomplished in her career. I am a fan of hers. I think she is criminally underreported on.

“And Iga, for the last two years, even with the Wimbledon title, the difference is that there have been inconsistencies, where she has patches in matches where the game goes off.

“And she looks at her box, and it’s a little panicked at times. And it is unpredictable, really. She’ll look great, she’ll look great, she’ll look great, and then all of a sudden it’s like, ‘Where did that come from?”

Roddick added: “Iga, we kind of have to figure that thing out, she had a good summer, obviously the win in Canada, but we judge her, she judges herself against her own shadow.

“She has six majors, dominant force in tennis, a multiple-time year-end number one. She’s probably going to be doing some searching.

“And it wasn’t the tennis going into this match. It wasn’t tennis-based. She’s been playing well for five weeks now. So, it is something else.

“But credit to Qinwen, good to see her back. You could see how much joy she had in that moment, going through qualies. She’s here for the real deal.”

Greg Rusedski has suggested that Iga Swiatek is being hindered by an ongoing “scar tissue” problem, while also arguing that it remains sensible for her to continue working with Francisco Roig.

Swiatek arrived at the US Open with momentum after lifting the Canadian Open trophy and making a strong run in Cincinnati. That optimism seemed justified when she opened her campaign without dropping a set in her first three matches. She then surged to a 5-0 lead against former Australian Open finalist Qinwen Zheng and appeared set for the quarter-finals.

Instead, the match turned sharply. Zheng won seven games in a row and went on to beat the out-of-form eighth seed 7-5, 6-3 in the fourth round.

Asked whether the setback reflected a mental problem, Swiatek said, “I wouldn’t say it had anything to do with mentality. It was more that I started making mistakes from easy balls, and Qinwen stopped making mistakes. She played the balls better.” She later described the defeat as “just one match”.

Rusedski is not convinced the issue is so easily dismissed. The former US Open finalist pointed to Swiatek’s form either side of her 2025 Wimbledon title as a concern, with the six-time major champion now sitting ninth in the rankings.

On Off Court, Rusedski said, “The s ummer started well for her, w inning in Canada, that was a big step forward, playing some great tennis. Everybody’s thinking, ‘Iga’s form was looking really good at the US Open’.

“So it’s about confidence. It’s about belief. That wouldn’t happen to her when she was the very best in the world. And unfortunately, the older we get, we get something called scar tissue and our mind gets away and sometimes we don’t find a way to stop this when momentum shifts.

“S o when you’re up 5-0 up and you lose seven games in a row, you’re not being able to either put your opponent off, find a way to lift your game, or use your coaching team to find a way to work it out.

“S he went with Francisco Roig, they didn’t get off to the best start when the relationship started (in April). It looked like this summer was getting better and they’re still feeling each other out on how they work.

“T his is another test for them because she needs to find a way to break that cycle. Roig’ s a great coach. She’s decided she’s going to continue on that partnership, she’s going to move forward.”

Rusedski added that the decision to stay together should be viewed positively and said Swiatek may need time to settle into the partnership before finding her rhythm again.

The men’s draw at this year’s US Open has produced an unexpected final eight, with several leading names already out of the tournament much earlier than many had projected. Novak Djokovic was eliminated in the opening round, while Felix Auger-Aliassime, Alex de Minaur, and Lorenzo Musetti all exited in the following round.

Carlos Alcaraz’s return from a wrist injury has drawn plenty of attention, but the tournament has also delivered a notable result for American men’s tennis on home soil. Three Americans have reached the quarter-finals, even though Taylor Fritz, Learner Tien, and Tommy Paul are not among them.

Here are Tennis365’s official predictions for all four men’s quarter-final matches at this year’s US Open.

Alexander Zverev vs Botic van de Zandschulp

Alexander Zverev has put together an impressive season and has repeatedly benefited from injuries and below-par form among top seeds. The German lifted his first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros earlier this year, after Djokovic went out early and Alcaraz withdrew.

Zverev has looked less secure in New York. He needed five sets to defeat Lorenzo Sonego and Quentin Halys in his first two matches, before producing straight-sets wins over Alejandro Tabilo and Luciano Darderi.

Van de Zandschulp has reached his second Grand Slam quarter-final by beating Jan Choinski, de Minaur, Zizou Bergs, and Arthur Gea.

Prediction: Zverev will have too much for the Dutchman and should progress in straight sets.

Karen Khachanov vs Alexander Blockx

Few would have expected Karen Khachanov and Alexander Blockx to be in this round, yet both have impressed. Khachanov arrived having lost three matches in a row, but he has beaten Felix Auger-Aliassime and Learner Tien.

Blockx has defeated Flavio Cobolli and Francisco Cerundolo, though injury concerns remain. He said he was close to retiring in his round of 16 match with Cerundolo.

Prediction: Khachanov is the clear pick, although Blockx’s physical condition could decide matters before the match is finished.

Frances Tiafoe vs Alex Michelsen

An all-American quarter-final was possible, but this pairing would still have been difficult to predict. Tiafoe is the more established name at this stage, having reached the semi-finals in 2022 and 2024.

Michelsen, however, is on his best run at a Grand Slam and remains the only player in the men’s draw not to lose a set on the way to the quarter-finals. He has also taken advantage of an opening section of the draw that offered limited resistance, with only two seeded opponents and none from the top 15 of the ATP Tour rankings.

Prediction: Tiafoe should win, but Michelsen is likely to make him work hard for it.

Ben Shelton vs Carlos Alcaraz

The standout match of the round is Shelton against Alcaraz. It is the highest-ranked quarter-final by combined rankings, and Alcaraz’s lack of match fitness after his wrist injury gives Shelton some hope.

That said, Shelton has never beaten Alcaraz, losing all three of their previous meetings. He has, however, handled his own path well, defeating Tallon Griekspoor, Hubert Hurkacz, Denis Shapovalov, and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Prediction: Shelton’s serving should be enough to carry him through, with Alcaraz still building after four and a half months away.