Iga Swiatek’s US Open exit against Zheng Qinwen has prompted sharp questions about one part of her game that now looks in need of work.

The six-time Grand Slam champion arrived at the final major of the season with encouraging signs behind her. She had already won the Canadian Open and also reached the semi-final in Cincinnati, form that suggested she was closing in on her best level again.

That confidence seemed justified early in the match. Swiatek surged into a 5-0 lead against Zheng and appeared set to control the contest. Instead, the match turned dramatically. Zheng clawed her way back, won the next seven games, and took the opening set 7-5. The Chinese player then broke in games seven and nine of the second set to complete a 7-5, 6-3 victory.

The result carries broader significance for Swiatek. She will finish the year without a Grand Slam title for the first time since 2021. For Zheng, the win sends her into the quarter-final of a major for the first time since the 2025 French Open.

Former world No 4 Zheng has had to battle through injury issues in recent seasons and came through qualifying to reach the main draw at Flushing Meadows.

Speaking to Eurosport and HBO Max, Mats Wilander pointed to Swiatek’s serve as the main concern, saying: “Zheng has been injured but when she plays well, she is one of the best players in the world. Today she didn’t play well and went down 5-0, but found her game and fought which was commendable.

“I thought she would give away that first set but found her game and outplayed Iga; outhit her. Iga didn’t play a terrible game, but Zheng outhit Iga, which is very hard to do.

As for Swiatek, her serve is a big concern for the former world No 1.

The Swede added: “Swiatek really couldn’t do anything. She needs to serve better I think. The serve has to be a weapon in women’s tennis today and her serve is not really a weapon. She has to work on that serve.

“I think Zheng is extremely fit, moves very well for a big girl and is extremely fit which really helps.”

Johanna Konta was also struck by Swiatek’s inability to reset once Zheng found rhythm. “I did think that at 5-2, Iga did get a little bit tentative and could feel the momentum shift. It spooked her and made her feel uncomfortable and she probably thought ‘oh my god, what am I doing wrong’,” she said.

“She didn’t adapt quickly enough but credit to Zheng, she really started to play herself into the match and took charge.

“Zheng showed ability from both wings; her forehand side is quite heavy, her backhand side is quite flat. So I thinks she is so tricky to adapt to against from Iga’s perspective, but there was no dip as the match went on.

“This is the beauty of tennis and why it’s so impressive when players can be so dominant throughout a whole match. It doesn’t take a lot for momentum to shift and you need to accept a battle in a match.

“They never start and finish in the same way and there is a constant back and forth between players, a constant adjusting to each other.

“In the end, the one that comes through is the one that can force a no answer from their opponent and that’s what Zheng did. Iga just couldn’t find an answer.”

Elena Rybakina moved another step toward world No 1 after producing her most convincing performance of the tournament against Naomi Osaka at the US Open.

The world No 2, who has yet to surrender a set in New York this year, controlled the match from the start and defeated the four-time Grand Slam winner 6-1, 6-4 in just over an hour. It was a timely statement from the second seed as the tournament enters its decisive phase.

“I honestly didn’t expect it,” the second seed said during her on-court interview. “I played really well today. [I was] feeling the ball was really good from my side.

“A bit lucky in some moments. I caught some lines. … Naomi is a tough opponent. I knew no matter the score I needed to focus on each ball. She’s also an aggressive player. I’m very glad with the way I played today.”

The win tightened Rybakina’s position in the WTA Rankings race and left Zheng Qinwen as the player directly standing between her and the top ranking. Rybakina needs only a place in the semi-finals to move ahead of Aryna Sabalenka and become the 30th WTA world No 1.

The picture is still crowded, with Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff all still alive at the season-ending Grand Slam. Even so, Rybakina remains in control of her own path.

“Of course I want it,” the reigning Australian Open champion said. “I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t wish this.”

She added: “I try to approach the same, fight to the end in my next match – let’s see what will happen.”

Rybakina could still finish the tournament as world No 1 even if she loses to Zheng, though that would require the other three contenders to win the title. She has been in similar situations before at the French Open and Wimbledon, where chances to reach the summit ended with early exits.

Still, her focus remains on the trophy in Flushing Meadows.

“The No 1 ranking is of course one of the goals, but I think the main focus for me, for the team, is to win the titles and then the ranking will follow. So we go match by match, but obviously we want to win the titles, the tournament. So that’s I would say main main goal.”

If she gets through Zheng, Rybakina would meet either Coco Gauff or Mirra Andreeva in the semi-finals. One of Sabalenka, Pegula, Linda Noskova and Amanda Anisimova would then be waiting in the final.

Coco Gauff has advanced with authority into the round of 16 at this year’s US Open, continuing a polished run at her home Grand Slam. The American has moved past Zeynep Sonmez, Paula Badosa, and Cristina Bucsa without losing a set, and now faces Iva Jovic for a place in the quarter finals.

Her form has not gone unnoticed. Martina Navratilova has been impressed by what Gauff has produced at Flushing Meadows and believes the young American has a clear edge over much of the field as she seeks a third Grand Slam title.

“It’s a hard one. Sabalenka, I think she’s the most, perhaps, fired up for this because she hasn’t won a major [this year] and usually she does, but Coco Gauff. I think she plays better under pressure than the rest of them [the draw],” said Navratilova on Sky Sports.

“Everyone else is a little more up and down, whereas Coco rises for it and here in New York she has consistently played well,” said the multi-time Grand Slam champion.

“And the crowd is going to go nuts for her as well. It’s like the known, unknown. She’s been through so much. She’s such a veteran, at such a young age.

“She just gets on with it, plays the next point, and if anything, it makes her even more dug in, to hit the backhand because the forehand can go off a little bit.

“She’s handled it well and she’s hitting both shots harder now, and consistently well, as she has all year, so I think she’s pulling her game together just in time.”

Even so, Navratilova ultimately settled on Sabalenka as her pick to win the tournament. Sabalenka has captured the last two US Open titles, while Gauff remains a proven force at the event after winning in 2023.

The title picture is also tied closely to the battle for world No 1 on the WTA Tour. Gauff, Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, and Jessica Pegula are all in contention, with Sabalenka needing to defend her title to stay on top. Gauff and Pegula likely need the same result to reach No 1, while Rybakina will move there if Sabalenka, Pegula, or Gauff do not win the trophy at Flushing Meadows.