It's deja vu, as Zheng delivers again

The same opponent, a tougher win and a new piece of history in the making — China's top ace Zheng Qinwen is living up to her Olympic gold standard, and possibly beyond, after winning her New York rematch with Donna Vekic.

Zheng's second consecutive win over Vekic, following her straight-sets Olympic final victory over the Croatian in Paris almost a month ago, has kept her on course for something even bigger — to become just the fourth woman ever to bag Olympic gold and win the US Open in the same year, joining Serena Williams (2012), Venus Williams (2000) and Steffi Graf (1988).

Her 7-6 (2), 4-6, 6-2 win, which ended at 2:15 am on Monday — the latest finish to a women's match in US Open history — also made Zheng the second Chinese woman, after retired two-time major winner Li Na, to reach the quarterfinals twice at Flushing Meadows, and the first to do so in consecutive years.

Yet, standing in her way will be a tough test in the form of world No 2 Aryna Sabalenka, who sent Zheng packing at the same stage last year in New York.

With her confidence and resilience at an all-time high, by riding on her Olympic momentum, Zheng expects to overcome the mighty Belarusian hurdle this time around.

"I really like to play against her, and I am looking forward to it," Zheng said after beating Vekic in two hours and 50 minutes at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

"I know she's one of the greatest hard court players. I've been hoping for this moment. To be the best player, I need to pass the mountain in front of me, and I think she's one of the mountains for me."

The in-form Sabalenka also beat Zheng in the rising Chinese star's maiden major final at the Australian Open in January.

A gritty winner

Cheered on into the wee hours by Chinese-American fans enjoying the annual Labor Day holiday in the United States, Zheng's rematch against the Croatian world No 24 at the major stage was tougher than she'd expected. While the opponent was the same as the Olympic gold-medal decider, it was on a surface that suited Vekic's game better.

The 21-year-old from Hubei province, however, proved she can mix it on the hard court as well as the red clay, upon which she has won two of her three WTA singles titles.

A more comfortable attacker on the quicker court, Vekic made her intentions known from the first game. She absorbed Zheng's baseline pace, while redirecting the ball perfectly, pushing Zheng to a tiebreak in the first set, before tying things up by winning the second set with a string of authoritative forehand winners.

Zheng, who's a self-proclaimed more composed and more consistent competitor, citing two comeback wins in her first two rounds in New York, remained unfazed in the deciding set, hitting her serves aggressively and on target. She broke Vekic twice with a clinical set of winners to hold the Croatian off in another gritty win.

"She played better than I thought. I think she performs better on hard courts compared to clay," Zheng said of the differences between playing Vekic at the US open and at the Paris Games.

"She plays the ball very flat. It's really difficult for me to control. Today on the hard court, she's been serving really well. It was tough to break her in the beginning of the match. I am really happy to have managed the pressure and won," said Zheng, who's emerged victorious from 16 of her past 17 matches since Wimbledon, including her six-match win streak at Paris 2024.

Through four wins in New York, Zheng has averaged more than 10 aces per match.

She has hit a total of 48 throughout the tournament, more than double the number of any remaining player in the draw. Her first serve has been devastating. She's won 80 percent of the first-serve points when the ball lands in.

To stay so competitive technically, after the emotional high of winning the Olympics, Zheng said she's particularly proud of her newfound stability.

"I feel really proud of myself, because it's not easy changing surfaces from clay to hard, especially after my trip back to China, because I didn't have the same practice time as all the other players," said Zheng, who embarked on a whirlwind trip back to Beijing between the Cincinnati Masters and New York for the Chinese Olympic delegation's celebration conference.

"Basically, I am just trying to hold myself and find a way to win the match, even when I am not at my best."

Earlier, New York-born Paula Badosa of Spain reached her first US Open quarterfinal with a 6-1, 6-2 win over China's Wang Yafan.

Coco Gauff joined Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz on the US Open scrap-heap on Sunday, as the defending champion crashed out to Emma Navarro in a blizzard of mistakes.

Third-ranked Gauff slumped to a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 fourth-round defeat to her fellow American on the back of 19 double faults and 60 unforced errors.

sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn