US Open: Świątek falls to world No. 121 in the round of 16

Poland's top-ranked player Iga Świątek suffered an upset in the US Open round of 16, losing 5:7, 3:6 to China's Qinwen Zheng, who currently sits at just 121st in the world rankings. Świątek entered as the clear favorite, with bookmakers offering odds of 1.19 on her win.

Świątek led 5:0 in the first set but Zheng clawed her way back to claim it 7:5. In the second set, Świątek fought to a 3:2 lead before dropping the remaining games and the match.

The statistics reflect a difficult day for the Pole, who trailed in first- and second-serve points won, total points (63:75), and break-point conversion. The head-to-head record now favors Zheng 7-2. In the previous round, the Chinese player showed resilience, coming back from 0:5 down in the third set to beat American Madison Keys. Off the court, Zheng ranks among the highest-earning tennis players — according to Forbes, she has earned 22 million USD over the past year outside competition.

Rybakina defeats Osaka

In another round-of-16 clash, Kazakhstan's top player Elena Rybakina comfortably beat former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka of Japan 6:1, 6:4. Rybakina dominated most statistical categories, including serve and break-point performance.

Rybakina currently sits one win away from the top spot in the unofficial live rankings. In the quarterfinal she will face Zheng, against whom she holds a 4-1 head-to-head advantage.