NEW YORK (AP) — Zheng Qinwen beat Donna Vekic in a rematch of their Olympic final, advancing to the U.S. Open quarterfinals with a 7-6 (2), 4-6, 6-2 victory early Monday morning in the latest finish of a women’s match in tournament history.
It was 2:15 a.m. when the No. 7-seeded Zheng finished off the match that lasted 2 hours, 50 minutes, a far tougher and longer test than she got from Vekic last month in Paris.
Zheng won China’s first singles gold in tennis with a 6-2, 6-3 victory that day. She wasn’t quite as dominant on the U.S. Open’s hard courts, where Vekic feels much more comfortable than the clay at Roland Garros.
But Zheng is plenty tough to beat herself on hard courts, having reached her first Grand Slam final this year at the Australian Open, where she lost to Aryna Sabalenka.
“I feel really proud of myself because it’s not easy changing surfaces from clay to hard, especially because I went back to China so I don’t have the same practice like all the other players,” Zheng said. “So basically, I’m just trying to hold myself, find a way to get the match even if I’m not feeling at my best.”