Zheng Qinwen Qualifies for US Open

Zheng Qinwen qualified for the US Open main draw on Friday, beating Elena Pridankina 6-4, 3-6, 6-0 in a rain-split qualifying final at Flushing Meadows. The WTA said the No. 14 seed closed it in 2 hours, 19 minutes after the match was halted overnight with Pridankina up 5-2 in the second set. Zheng, 23, is back in New York after elbow surgery last year.

Her only other Grand Slam qualifying run was the 2022 Australian Open, and she got through that one too. She is a two-time US Open quarterfinalist. Friday was the grind version: lose the second set after the delay, then take seven of the last eight games. The WTA flagged a forehand around the net post as one of the shots of the tournament before the rain, and said the down-the-line forehand was her closer in the third.

How did Zheng Qinwen qualify?

She won the first set 6-4, dropped the second 3-6 after play resumed, and blanked Pridankina 6-0 in the third. That is the sourced scoreline. Qualifying as a former top player is not the same as a wild card. It is three matches and a medical year in the rearview. She gets a main-draw slot instead of a story about whether she belongs in the building.

The draw already parked her against 16-year-old Kristina Liutova in the first round. Liutova, ranked No. 125, beat Martyna Kubka 6-4, 6-0 and will be the first 2010-born player in a Grand Slam main draw, the WTA wrote. She is 36-4 this year and won Memphis last month as a qualifier. That is Zheng's first test, not a bye.

What else happened in US Open qualifying?

Tamara Zidansek beat 2019 champion Bianca Andreescu 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. Storm Hunter qualified 6-4, 6-1 over No. 4 seed Darja Semenistaja. Anouk Koevermans reached her first Slam main draw 6-3, 7-6(5) over Mariam Bolkvadze. Lucie Havlickova and Himeno Sakatsume also got through. On the men's side, Grigor Dimitrov had already punched in, covered in the Dimitrov qualifying recap.

The main draw starts Sunday. Zheng's path is the one fans are typing: Zheng Qinwen US Open, Zheng qualify, Zheng vs Liutova. Elena Rybakina's status is still a separate question, already on the desk in the Rybakina US Open status note. Zheng is in. The rest is first-round tennis.

Zheng Qinwen US Open FAQ

Did Zheng Qinwen qualify for the US Open? Yes. She beat Elena Pridankina 6-4, 3-6, 6-0 on Friday, the WTA reported.

Who does Zheng play in the first round? Qualifier Kristina Liutova, the 16-year-old Memphis champion.

Why was Zheng in qualifying? She is rebuilding after elbow surgery last year and entered as the No. 14 qualifying seed.