Qinwen Zheng Olympic Gold: Ugly Emma Navarro Clash & Her Historic Run

Qinwen Zheng faces Elena Rybakina today in the quarterfinals of the 2026 US Open after putting together an incredible run to reach the last eight.

In her Round of 16 matchup against No. 8 seed Iga Świątek, Zheng stunned the former US Open champion with a 7-5, 6-3 victory.

Advertisement

Entering today's quarterfinal, no woman remaining in the draw has spent more time on the court than Zheng, who has played for 9 hours and 29 minutes across her qualifying and main draw matches.

Qinwen Zheng's Olympic Gold and Clash With Emma Navarro

The 23-year-old's remarkable run at the 2024 Paris Olympics remains one of the defining achievements of her career. She made history as the first Asian tennis player to win an Olympic singles gold medal after defeating Croatia's Donna Vekić 6-2, 6-3 in the final on the clay courts of Roland Garros.

Advertisement

However, her historic run to the gold medal also featured a dramatic third-round clash with Emma Navarro.

After surviving a grueling 3-hour, 12-minute thriller on the clay at Roland Garros, a verbal confrontation at the net sparked a rivalry that remains one of the most talked-about moments of Zheng's career.

In a grueling battle played under intense heat, Navarro fought back from a 5-3 deficit in the first set to take it in a tiebreak.

The second set proved even more dramatic. Navarro served for the match at 5-3, but Zheng saved a match point, broke back, and eventually won the tiebreak to force a deciding set.

Advertisement

With Navarro unable to regain her momentum, Zheng dominated the final set to complete a remarkable comeback and win 6-7(7), 7-6(4), 6-1. The tension continued at the net after the match.

During the handshake, Navarro grabbed Zheng's hand and told her that she didn't respect her.

Navarro later made her feelings clear during her post-match press conference. "I just told her I didn't respect her as a competitor. I think she goes about things in a pretty cut-throat way. It makes for a locker room that doesn't have a lot of camaraderie," she said.

Advertisement

Despite the criticism from her rival, Zheng responded with grace and appeared open to addressing any concerns about her behavior.

"She told me she doesn't know how I have fans. It looks like she's not happy about my behavior… If she's not happy about my behavior, she can come tell me. I want to correct it to be a better player and a better person," she responded.

Click here to read article