US OPEN

September 5, 2026

Zheng Qinwen

Press Conference

Z. Qinwen/M. Keys

1-6, 7-6, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations. Epic comeback. Your thoughts?

ZHENG QINWEN: Yeah, it is a very classic comeback, especially I think the opponent has a match point. That was also incredible performance for me.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. I'm curious just what it was like for you in that atmosphere, because Madison is obviously someone who is a fan favorite around here, but you obviously had a tremendous amount of support there, and it didn't exactly feel like she had a home-court edge at all. What was it like playing in that atmosphere?

ZHENG QINWEN: Well, you know, she was really tough opponent. I think she also got a very strong stroke.

But actually for me, when the crowd is supporting her, I feel also in the same time they are supporting me, because as more noise they got, I feel like they are trying to wake me up. What I'm afraid is the crowd is so calm, you know, nothing happen.

Once they start to supporting the opponent, actually I like those atmosphere. I like the supporting me, also supporting the opponent. This makes me really awake.

Q. You've had an up-and-down year. I guess did you feel when you came to New York, that you were ready for a performance like this in a run to the second week of the US Open?

ZHENG QINWEN: Well, when I decided not to play Cincinnati and make a block of training with my team, I accepted that actually I really need to play quallie in US Open. Then we been working really hard before US Open to try to make a good result here.

But actually I never think anything about result, because I just want to fight every single match and put the energy in each match, and let's see what's happen.

Because I felt what's happen in the past three, 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 in the top level.

But after this block of training, I felt really I come back stronger physically and also mentally.

Q. Again, I just wondered, given what you were saying a couple of days ago about how you felt you'd forgotten how to compete, that that was the element of the game that took the longest to come back, I just wondered the way you won today from being 5-Love and a match point down, I wonder if that gives you particular satisfaction given the struggles you've had with those competitive feelings?

ZHENG QINWEN: Well, yes, like you said, after coming back from injury, it is true, it's been a while. I didn't compete, so I felt I lose those energy, I forgot how to compete.

You know, I play many matches here from the quallie. I have a lot of emotions when I'm playing the quallie match. I was even crying after I won the third match reaching to the main the draw, and you know, main draw is just the beginning where all the players start. Also, that's just my beginning before.

So I fight so hard just to start like everyone else. For me, that was really not easy.

For today, it's, like, after coming back from 0-5, the first things in that moment I thought, Please, I don't want to be beaten, like, 6-0. I just want to win one game in that moment.

After the dynamic start to came and I felt better on court, I felt, like, I can see the tennis better. Then I felt I have a lot of energy on myself. I can just keep pushing, keep fighting.

At the end when I won the match, it's, like, Wow, that's incredible. Finally, one time the luck is on my side because all these three, four months I been suffer a lot.

Q. You just described how you felt after you completed the comeback. What do you think caused that comeback? What did you witness in Madison's game, and what did you do in your game?

ZHENG QINWEN: I think Madison has a really strong stroke, especially in the forehand. She can hit the ball super hard and super fast, which is I didn't met those opponent before. So all the opponent I face before, they didn't hit that hard as Madi, and they didn't serve good as Madi.

I felt today in the beginning takes me a while to really realize, okay, this is the opponent I going to face, but luckily, that I been able to change in the second set.

So I give myself more time on court, trying to put more spin, trying to play more rallies, because I realize once the game start entering a long rally, it can be benefit for me, because my physic was really good, I'm able to run everywhere on the court.

So I try to make the point longer, yeah.

Q. What did you see change in her when she had that big lead and was on the verge of winning this match?

ZHENG QINWEN: Well, first of all, I have to say she started third set really well. I mean, I put good first serving. She hits the ball just right to the corner. I felt in the first three games I really couldn't do anything. I just did what I have to do, but she hit incredible.

Then suddenly after I won the first game in the third set, I see there is some, like, maybe doubt or, I don't know, not as clean as before. She start to make a lot of mistake in that moment, and I start to feel like, okay, I need to be there. I need to keep fighting, don't give up, and let's see what's going to happen.

Q. You talked about wanting to kind of work on your physical conditioning. This is a lot of matches. How are you feeling physically now, and are you completely over the sickness that you had?

ZHENG QINWEN: Well, luckily, I think today and yesterday I been feeling much better compared to before, because I remember those few matches I'm not breathing well. I felt a lot of times I couldn't breathe on court because my nose are plugged, and my energy were really low.

Yes, after finally after eight, nine days, my sick was almost gone, and I'm able to compete as my normal stage.

Q. With the number of matches that you played, tired, feeling super energetic, feeling good?

ZHENG QINWEN: No, I'm not tired at all. I mean, if I'm not sick, I'm not supposed to be tired during all those matches, because honestly, the practice what I did in Bradenton in Florida, that condition was super tough. Like, every day when I finish practice, I'm sweating from up to down, like, totally, and I need to make couple of changes.

I don't even want to remember the practice I made before. Maybe that's because right now my fitness is much better, and I don't feel tired. Especially when you keep winning, you just feel your mental is even more fresh than before.

Q. I want to ask you about the 4-5 game in particular. You were down Love-15, and then a baby started crying, and you had to pause your service motion. In that moment, what were you feeling, and how did you get out of that one?

ZHENG QINWEN: Well, if it's adult, probably I will look at him very hard or start to speak, but it's just a baby. I can't do anything, you know? It's just a baby. That can happen.

In one match you have to accept the crowd. Sometimes they're speaking loud. Sometimes they can shout you. They can start to coaching you on court. I mean, this situation, it can happen many times before.

I think as a professional player, the really good ones, we need to be able to handle those situations.

Q. You played a match about three years ago against Bronzetti that was up and down at the US Open, and you won. We talked about whether you actually like roller coasters, the actual amusement park roller coaster, and you said you love it, and you stay calm when the roller coaster is all the way up. How do you stay calm in a match that's like a roller coaster? Three years later, do you still like roller coasters?

ZHENG QINWEN: That's a very funny questions. First of all, I think nobody like roller coaster during a match. I mean, if you can win 6-1, 6-2, 6-2, 6-3, that's the best. If the opponents are really good or on that day you are not feeling good, you have to fight the match that you are not playing good.

That's the case, because you won Grand Slam, I mean, it's two weeks, and you can't feel good every single day.

I felt especially today, Madi, she start the match very well, and in one moment I felt I'm only in the defense position, because she's the one always attacking, but somehow -- I mean, that's tennis.

Tennis sometimes feels like roller coaster. You see many times the people, they have a match point, but at the end we made a comeback. Like today was just happening.

So this gives me also lesson that in a tennis match you always have to be there. It doesn't matter if you are winning or losing. You have a match point or you don't have a match point, you just need to be concentrate every single point as long as you can, yeah.