Zheng Qinwen roars into US Open round of 16 after sensational comeback

China's Zheng Qinwen bounced back from a 5-0 deficit in the third set to overcome American crowd favorite Madison Keys 1-6, 7-6 (3), 7-5, advancing to the US Open women's singles round of 16 on Saturday in New York.

After dropping the first set 6-1, due in part to four double-faults, Zheng gradually found a solid rhythm and improved her stability on serves. The two players were evenly-matched in the second set until the reigning Olympic gold medalist prevailed 7-6 (3) in a tiebreaker.

The 22nd-seeded Keys appeared to shrug off the setback and looked at ease in the third set, jumping out a 5-0 lead, but Zheng showed remarkable resilience to claim seven straight games and close out her stunning come-from-behind victory 7-5.

"It is a very classic comeback," Zheng said. "I kept holding every single point. Somehow, little by little, it just happened. I turned around 0-5. This is the first time it happened in my career."

The former World No. 4 also revealed that she never let the daunting late deficit overwhelm her thought process.

"It was a very tough game. At that moment, I showed no emotion. I just kept fighting. Against Maddie, you can't be too passive. I think I find the right balance at the end of the game. What I can say? Wow," the 23-year-old added.

"I obviously got off to a really good lead, and then I just got really scared, like I couldn't swing. At the end, I felt like I couldn't play tennis anymore, and it felt like it was a much bigger deal than just playing a tennis match, all of a sudden," Keys lamented.

Zheng's third appearance in the round of 16 at Flushing Meadows, and sixth across the sport's four major tournaments, will see her take on Poland's six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek.