Elena Rybakina vs Qinwen Zheng - Preview & Prediction - 2026 US Open Quarter Final

<p>Elena Rybakina vs Zheng Qinwen — full preview, head-to-head breakdown and prediction for their QUARTERFINAL at the 2026 US Open. The World No. 1 ranking on one side, the most improbable run of the tournament on the other.</p><p><br></p><p>Elena Rybakina is one win from the top of the game. The second seed and reigning Australian Open champion is GUARANTEED TO REPLACE ARYNA SABALENKA AS WORLD NO. 1 if she reaches the semifinals here. She has been overwhelming all fortnight and produced her best performance yet in the round of 16, overpowering Naomi Osaka 6-1, 6-4 in a rematch of their Toronto quarterfinal. Add the Canadian Open final and 42 wins in her last 50 hard-court matches, and she is the form player on this surface.</p><p><br></p><p>Zheng Qinwen&#39;s run is one of the stories of the year. The Paris 2024 Olympic gold medallist and former World No. 4 fell to No. 121 after elbow surgery and had to come through QUALIFYING just to reach this main draw. She is now the FIRST QUALIFIER TO REACH THE US OPEN LAST EIGHT SINCE EMMA RADUCANU WON THE TITLE IN 2021 — and she has done it the hard way. Twice. She erased a 5-0 deficit and saved match point to beat Madison Keys 1-6, 7-6(3), 7-5, then fell 5-0 down AGAIN against Iga Swiatek before reeling off SEVEN STRAIGHT GAMES to win 7-5, 6-3 — against an opponent who led their head-to-head 7-1.</p><p><br></p><p>That single previous loss for Swiatek? The Paris 2024 Olympic semifinal, where Zheng also came from behind. This is what she does.</p><p><br></p><p>An eight-match winning streak and nothing to lose against the most powerful player in the draw with the No. 1 ranking on the line. Who reaches the semifinals?</p><p><br></p><p>🎾 IN THIS VIDEO</p><p>- Why Rybakina has looked like the best player in the draw</p><p>- How Zheng keeps producing these comebacks</p><p>- What the No. 1 ranking pressure could do</p><p>- Prediction, scoreline, and the semifinal that follows</p><p><br></p><p>📊 MATCH INFO</p><p>Tournament: 2026 US Open (Grand Slam)</p><p>Round: Quarterfinal — Women&#39;s Singles</p><p>Players: Elena Rybakina (KAZ, No. 2 seed) vs Zheng Qinwen (CHN, qualifier)</p><p>At stake: Rybakina becomes World No. 1 with a win</p><p>Surface: Outdoor Hard</p><p>Venue: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Flushing Meadows, New York</p><p><br></p><p>💬 Rybakina or Zheng? Predicted scoreline in the comments.</p><p>👍 Like if you want daily US Open previews and predictions</p><p>🔔 SUBSCRIBE and turn on notifications for full 2026 US Open coverage</p><p><br></p><p>- Mantis 10%: https://mantissport.com/qualityshot10 (At Checkout)</p><p>- IM8 10% OFF: https://im8.go2cloud.org/aff_c?offer_id=26&amp;aff_id=2077 (Code QST10 at Checkout)</p><p>- Acemate: https://www.acematetennis.com?sca_ref=11586466.udoQ3GLV6m55xoG1&amp;utm_source=uppromote&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=standard-affiliate-commission&amp;utm_content=affiliate-QualityShot-Tennis</p><p><br></p><p>---</p><p><br></p><p>Copyright Disclaimer: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for &quot;fair use&quot; for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use and no copyright infringement is intended. No match footage is shown in these videos.</p><p><br></p><p>⚠️ Independent tennis analysis and commentary. Predictions are opinion only and not betting advice. Not affiliated with the USTA, the WTA or the US Open.</p><p><br></p><p>#Rybakina #ZhengQinwen #USOpen</p>