The 25-year-old Swiatek faces an underwhelming conclusion to her Grand Slam campaign following this last-16 elimination, having achieved her top result this year with a run to the quarter-finals at the Australian Open.
Her run at the French Open also halted in the fourth round, and her bid to retain her Wimbledon crown was cut short during the third round.
Consequently, Swiatek is set to complete a calendar year without securing any of tennis’s four major trophies for the first time since 2021.
Prior to needing medical attention on her left thigh while up 2-1 in the second set, Swiatek had arrived at the US Open on a high note, having claimed the WTA 1000 title in Toronto and reached the final four in Cincinnati, additionally cruising into the fourth round in New York without dropping a single set.
Looking back at her first-set defeat against Zheng, Swiatek explained that her errors multiplied after she had established a commanding 5-0 lead.
“My concentration levels remained unchanged,” remarked the six-time Grand Slam champion. “I intended to stick to my usual game plan. However, I began making too many errors and tried to correct them, but nothing seemed to click at that stage.”
“I believed further opportunities would come my way and I intended to capitalize, but I failed to convert any of them.”
She added: “I don’t think it was a mental issue. Rather, I began committing unforced errors on straightforward shots, while Qinwen played cleaner tennis and made fewer missteps. Her shot execution was simply superior.”
