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 that 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.
She will play again against Sabalenka, the No. 2 seed who also beat Zheng last year in the quarters at Flushing Meadows on her way to the final, on Tuesday.
