Comeback Queen: Zheng Qinwen and her World Tennis background

What a comeback by Zheng Qinwen – winning a set from 5-0 down, this time against six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek, for the second match in succession. The 23-year-old advances to the quarter-finals at the US Open.

Reigning Olympic champion Zheng would appear to be on the charge after dropping out of the Top 100 earlier this season as she searched for her best form following elbow surgery in 2025.

It only seems like yesterday that Zheng was competing at the 2019 World Tennis Tour Junior Finals – the junior equivalent of the ATP and WTA Finals – on home soil in Chengdu, China.

The World Tennis Tour Junior Finals see the eight best-performing boys and girls from the past year compete in one place – and for big ranking points. But the tournament is much more than that and it gives aspiring players a real taste of what life as a pro could look like.

It certainly seems to have stood Zheng is good stead. Zheng is a former junior world No. 6 who proceeded to win eight titles on the World Tennis Tour before enjoying success on the WTA Tour. Her crowning moment, however, came at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games when she won women's singles gold. 

It is also worth noting that Zheng is another a player to have benefitted from the Touring Team programme.

Each year, World Tennis selects talented players from developing tennis nations to join Grand Slam Player Development Programme Touring Teams, which are funded by the four Grand Slams.

Those players then travel as a team and have access to high-performance coaches. The Touring Team programme provides crucial support for talented players who might otherwise be unable to compete at the level they do.

Like countless others with a substantial World Tennis background, it is great to see Zheng continuing to write the headlines and starring on the global stage.