Olympic champ Zheng back in the hunt - and US Open third round
Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen has advanced to the third round of the US Open after a difficult recovery from elbow surgery. She credits the challenging qualifying process for helping her regain her competitive drive.
Why it matters
It illustrates the mental and physical hurdles elite athletes face when returning from long-term injuries and significant ranking drops.
Zheng Qinwen flopped to the court then jumped up in a fist-pumping celebration Thursday after battling into the US Open third round, the 2024 Olympic gold medallist relishing the return of her game -- and her competitive fire.
The former world number four endured an injury-plagued 2025 that included a longer than anticipated recovery from elbow surgery.
She missed the Australian Open and has struggled to regain her form, and the mindset of a champion.
"Before the surgery, for me winning is like drinking water -- everything comes natural, everything comes fluent," Zheng said after beating Yulia Putintseva 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 to reach the third round.
"After my surgery, I had some tough matches against the best players in the world (and) I'm close but I don't get them.
"I totally lost the dynamic of how to compete.
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