US Open: Four talking points from Day 7

The US Open has provided so many stories in the first week and the opening Saturday was no different. From a Chinese comeback of epic proportions, a Filipina leaving it all on the court to a German learning what best-of-five sets actually means, here are the top storylines from Day 7.

Qinwen Zheng is an Olympic Gold medalist and an Australian Open finalist from just two years ago, and yet, when it came to granting her a wildcard, the US Open looked the other way. So the former world No 4, who was coming off a lengthy recovery from elbow surgery last year, had to grind her way through the qualifiers, because her ranking has dropped outside 120.

Yet on Saturday, she showed what she was made of, not only saving a match point at 5-0 down in the decider against 2025 Australian Open champion and local hope Madison Keys, but also winning seven straight games to complete one of the most remarkable turnarounds ever seen.

The 23-year-old, who felt she "forgot how to compete" during her enforced absence, said she can now feel her competitive fire burning. "I have a lot of emotions when I'm playing the qualie matches," she said. "I was even crying after I won the third match reaching to the main draw, and you know, main draw is just the beginning.

"For today, after coming back from 0-5, the first thing in that moment I thought, 'Please, I don't want to be beaten 6-0.'"

American teen Iva Jovic outlasted Philippines star Alexandra Eala in an epic three-hour showdown to reach the fourth round. Jovic, the 14th seed, won five of the last six games for a 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 triumph over 17th-seed Eala after three hours and three minutes.

"That felt like a marathon and I felt like I lost my sanity five times over to win that match," Jovic said. "But it's really worth it for this feeling."

Eala admitted: "I had my chances. I'm happy with the match in general. Of course there is disappointment in losing, but trying to see the positive side. It was a really good match. The level was really high.

"I left everything out there. I fought through the ups and downs... What I know for a fact is that I fought so I'm happy with that."

Jovic said of Eala: "She played an outrageous level tonight. She was serving very good. She was showing a lot more versatility with her returns.

"She's playing some of the best tennis in the world right now so it's no doubt it takes a hell of an effort to beat her."

Top seed Alexander Zverev picked up the pace at the US Open on Saturday, virtually sprinting to a 6-2, 7-6 (7/2), 6-2 victory over Alejandro Tabilo to reach the last 16 after laboring through a pair of marathon five-setters.

The German had already spent nine hours and 26 minutes on court in his first two matches – the most time a top seed has needed to reach the third round of a major since 1999.

"My coach was actually quite smart – he explained to me a best of five set match doesn't mean you have to play five sets," quipped the French Open champion, who appeared on a mission to end the trend against Tabilo.

World number two Elena Rybakina avenged her French Open defeat to Yuliia Starodubtseva on Saturday, beating the unseeded Ukrainian 7-6 (8/6), 6-3 to reach the US Open last 16.

The hard-hitting Kazakh, who claimed her second Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January, fell to Starodubtseva in the second round at Roland Garros, a defeat that may have been on her mind as she struggled to find her rhythm in the opening set.

"It was a tough match," Rybakina said. "I feel like it wasn't my best performance, but Yuliia she's a great player. Last time we had a battle, too, and I'm glad I could win in straight sets."

Rybakina now just needs two wins – to reach the semi-finals – to be assured of supplanting Aryna Sabalenka atop the world rankings – even if Sabalenka wins a third straight US Open title.

"Not there yet," she said. "It's still very far. I need to focus on my next match and not think about it."