During the first set, there were no service breaks, and the set was decided by a tiebreaker, which Zheng won 7-2. Vekic took a 2-0 lead in the second set but began to show signs of fatigue due to a busy summer, including a Wimbledon semi-final run and winning the Olympic silver medal.
Zheng broke back for 2-2 but faced pressure once again in the 10th game. At 5-4, Vekic converted her third set point and broke Zheng to even the match at one set each.
In the final set, Zheng broke early to go up 2-0 and then again in the seventh game before serving out the match and securing a 7-6, 4-6, 6-2 victory in two hours and 53 minutes.
Zheng-Vekic break US Open late finish record for women held by Sakkari-Andreescu
The match ended at 2:15 A.M., breaking the record for the latest finish of a women’s match at the US Open previously held by Maria Sakkari and Bianca Andreescu at 2:13 A.M. in 2021.
Zheng, ranked No. 7, will face Aryna Sabalenka, the second seed, for a spot in the semi-finals. The Chinese player has a 0-2 head-to-head record against Sabalenka, losing in the Australian Open final this year and in the quarter-finals at the US Open last year.
Earlier in the tournament, Zheng defeated Amanda Anisimova, Erika Andreeva, and Jule Niemeier. Vekic, ranked No. 24, beat Kimberly Birrell, Greet Minnen, and Peyton Stearns in previous rounds.
New York (Grand Slam), other fourth round matches (USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, hard, USD 75,000,000):
- Aryna Sabalenka defeated Elise Mertens (33) 6-2, 6-4
- Emma Navarro (13) defeated Coco Gauff (3) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
- Paula Badosa (26) defeated Yafan Wang 6-1, 6-2
- Iga Swiatek vs. Liudmila Samsonova
- Caroline Wozniacki vs. Beatriz Haddad Maia
- Diana Shnaider vs. Jessica Pegula
- Karolina Muchova vs. Jasmine Paolini
