China's tennis star Zheng Qinwen staged a remarkable comeback from 5-0 down in the deciding set to defeat home favorite Madison Keys 1-6, 7-6 (3), 7-5 on Saturday and reach the US Open women's singles round of 16.

Zheng, the 23-year-old 22nd seed, struggled early against the 2025 US Open champion, hitting four double faults as Keys took the opening set 6-1.

The reigning Olympic champion gradually found her rhythm in the second set and improved the stability of her serve. The two players stayed closely matched before Zheng prevailed 7-6 (3) in the tiebreak.

As the second set began, Chinese fans in the stands repeatedly shouted "Niu Lai," a Chinese expression of encouragement meaning "Come on!" The chant also echoed the title of Niu Lai, a low-budget Chinese movie that became a surprise box-office hit this summer.

Keys appeared to take control in the deciding set, racing to a 5-0 lead. But Zheng refused to give up, winning seven consecutive games to complete a 7-5 comeback and seal her place in the last 16.

It marked only the second time in the Open Era that a player had come back from 0-5 down to win the deciding set of a Grand Slam women's singles match. The other instance came at the 1995 French Open, when Chanda Rubin rallied to beat Jana Novotna 8-6 in the final set.

Zheng became the second woman in the Open Era to achieve the feat.

"It is a very classic comeback," Zheng said. "I kept holding every single point. Somehow, little by little, it just happened. I turned [around] 0-5. This is the first time [it] happened in my career."

"It was a very tough game. At that moment, I showed no emotion. I just kept fighting. Against Maddie, you can't be too passive. I think I found the right balance at the end of the game. What can I say? Wow," she added.

Zheng's comeback quickly drew widespread attention in China. The US Open's official X account posted several times celebrating her performance, including a graphic describing her 0-5 to 7-5 turnaround,saying "Zheng Qinwen with the comeback of the year!!!."

Multiple hashtags related to Zheng's victory also trended on China's X-like platform Sina Weibo, where Chinese fans celebrated her resilience and return to form. Popular Taiwan singer Jay Chou also shared footage from the match on social media and reacted to Zheng's dramatic comeback on his Instagram account.

Some Chinese netizens even used AI to recreate scenes from her match in the style of famous masterpieces.

It was Zheng's sixth appearance in a Grand Slam round of 16. She will next face eighth-seeded Iga Swiatek of Poland.

Zheng last reached a Grand Slam singles round of 16 at the 2025 French Open. In the five Grand Slam tournaments since then, she missed two because of injuries and lost in the first round at the other three.

Zheng has now won six straight matches at this year's US Open, including two in qualifying before advancing through the main draw.

Swiatek leads their head-to-head record 7-1, but Zheng's only victory over the Polish star came at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where Zheng defeated Swiatek in the semifinals and went on to win the gold medal.