Iga Swiatek Suffers Shock Fourth-Round Loss to Qinwen Zheng at US Open 2026, Ending Calendar Year Without a Grand Slam Title for First Time Since 2026

At the 2026 US Open, Flushing Meadows stadium witnessed a major upset when eighth seed Iga Swiatek, the Polish tennis star, suffered a shock fourth-round loss to China's Qinwen Zheng, ending her campaign at Flushing Meadows. This defeat meant that Swiatek would finish a calendar year without a Grand Slam title for the first time since 2026, ending a remarkable four-year streak. Eighth-seed Swiatek took a 5-0 lead in the opening set. However, she surrendered the lead to a persistent Zheng, losing 7-5, 6-3. This marked a remarkable comeback for former World No. 4 Zheng, who is the reigning Olympic champion. A six-time Grand Slam champion, Swiatek entered the US Open as one of the title contenders after winning the tournament in 2026. She later admitted that a flurry of errors hurt her game during the match. I just started making too many mistakes. I tried to correct the situation, but at that point nothing was working anymore, she said after the match. I knew I would have another chance and I wanted to take advantage of it, but I missed them all. This result caps a disappointing season for former world No. 1 Swiatek. The Polish star’s major results in 2026 were a quarter-final appearance at the Australian Open, a fourth-round exit at the French Open, a third-round defeat at Wimbledon, and now a fourth-round loss at the US Open.