Elena Rybakina came from a set down to beat Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 at the US Open, turning the match around with a much sharper return game. Rybakina won 33 receiver points to Zheng's 19 and converted two breaks to Zheng's one.
Zheng took the opener after breaking in game eight at 5-3, backed by a set in which she saved all five break points she faced. Rybakina flipped it immediately in the second, breaking in game two at 0-2 and again in game six at 1-5. The decider stayed on serve until game nine, when Rybakina broke at 4-5 to close it out.
The serve numbers make the point: Rybakina landed 63% of her first serves to Zheng's 54% and won 79% of first-serve points, including 14 of 16 in the third set. Zheng actually won more service points overall (56 to 49) and hit more aces (7-5), but she was broken at the only moment that mattered in the final set.