Iga Swiatek had this match completely under control and somehow threw it away. Up 5-0 against Qinwen Zheng in the US Open fourth round, she looked ready to cruise, only for Zheng to win seven straight games, steal the opening set 7-5, and finish her off 6-3. Blowing a 5-0 lead is bad enough, but what made Swiatek’s collapse even more alarming was Martina Navratilova questioning what was coming from her coaching box.

Francisco Roig, Rafael Nadal’s former coach, joined Swiatek’s team earlier this year. But while Swiatek was falling apart against Zheng, Navratilova heard one piece of advice from her box that immediately raised eyebrows.

“I think she might have lost a little confidence in her box when they told her to get a looser racket because she’s missing balls,” Navratilova said. “That’s just a peculiar piece of advice. And now maybe she’s questioning everything.”

That made an already ugly defeat even more uncomfortable. For Swiatek, this was not just another US Open loss. She will finish a season without a Grand Slam title for the first time since 2021, while the defeat also put her new partnership with Roig under the microscope.

And Navratilova was not the only former champion who noticed something off.

Marion Bartoli, also on Sky Sports Tennis, spotted Roig reacting strongly when Swiatek tried to attack Zheng’s serve early.

“I can tell you that at 15-40 [at 5-7, 2-3] when Iga Swiatek stepped in on the return and tried to take the wide serve early, Francisco Roig almost jumped out of his chair because that’s not a tactic he wants her to use,” Bartoli said.

And this is where Roig’s recent record becomes hard to ignore.

His 17 years with Rafael Nadal made his reputation, but his solo coaching work since leaving Nadal has been far less convincing. Emma Raducanu was one of his biggest recent projects, hiring him in 2025 to improve the technical quality of her game.

Roig went deep into the details, including two-hour sessions focused on returns, second shots and dealing with attacking opponents. But even Toni Nadal has admitted that changing the habits of an established player takes time.

“To change someone who used to do one thing is difficult. What I explain to the players is that if you are happy with your level and ranking, don’t change anything. If you are not happy then you have to change something, something emotional, tactical or technical. But normally you need a little time.”

That warning now feels relevant with Swiatek. Roig wanted her deeper, letting the ball drop and building points with patience. Swiatek kept stepping in and trying to take control early.

Five months into the partnership, that is starting to look like more than a small tactical disagreement. In the biggest moments, player and coach did not appear to want the same thing.

What did Iga Swiatek say after the shocking US Open exit?

The contrast was difficult to miss. Swiatek appeared to be searching for solutions while Zheng seemed to grow more assured with every game. By the time the second set arrived, the momentum had completely changed hands.

Interestingly, Swiatek herself refused to attach any deeper meaning to the collapse. Asked about surrendering seven consecutive games after leading 5-0, she played down the idea that something had gone seriously wrong.

“It’s just one match,” Swiatek said. “You can lose a set from any score, nothing special about that. Just that’s what happened and that’s it.”

Speaking to Eurosport, she similarly rejected the suggestion that the comeback was connected to a larger mental problem. Instead, Swiatek pointed toward the simplest explanation: she made too many mistakes while Zheng stopped making hers.

“I just started making too many errors,” she explained. “She raised her level and stopped making those mistakes.”

That explanation was reflected in the second set. Swiatek had opportunities to fight her way back, including two break points, but could not sustain enough pressure. Zheng eventually found another gear and closed out a remarkable 7-5, 6-3 victory.

The win was extraordinary given what had happened only a day earlier. Zheng had also trailed Madison Keys 5-0 in the deciding set before producing another stunning comeback. Against Swiatek, she followed the same script, winning 13 of the final 16 games after falling behind 0-5.

“I guess to come back from 0-5 yesterday is not ‘lucky’,” Zheng said afterward.
For the 23-year-old, the victory marked her seventh straight win in New York after coming through qualifying and sent her into the quarterfinals. It was also her first Grand Slam quarterfinal since Roland Garros 2025 and her third at the US Open.

Swiatek, meanwhile, leaves New York with plenty to consider. Her best Grand Slam result this year was a quarterfinal appearance at the Australian Open, followed by fourth-round and third-round exits at the French Open and Wimbledon respectively.

She had arrived in New York with genuine momentum after winning the Canadian Open and reaching the Cincinnati semifinals. Yet another early exit means the six-time major champion will finish 2026 without adding to her Grand Slam collection.

Still, Swiatek insists there is no need for dramatic soul-searching. “I just need to focus on the work before the next tournaments,” she said. “There are going to be other chances to play good tennis.”

Perhaps that is exactly where the next chapter begins. The Asian swing awaits, with the China Open and Wuhan Open among the major stops. But after a night when her game unraveled from a seemingly unassailable position… and her coach’s advice drew scrutiny, the biggest question may not simply be how Swiatek rebuilds her tennis.

It may be how much she trusts the voice in her box when the next crisis arrives.