Iga Swiatek’s time in the US Open came to a abrupt halt as she was firmly beaten by Qinwen Zheng in straight sets.

The Pole took a 5-0 lead in the first set, but somehow still managed to lose the opening set 7-5 to the Chinese star.

That was the beginning of the end for Swiatek, who has now been confirmed to not win a Grand Slam in a season for the first time since 2021.

She looked to be moving in the right direction on the North American hardcourt swing, having won the Canadian Open, but issues with her coach Francisco Roig looked to resurface in her US Open defeat.

Watching on courtside for Sky Sports Tennis, Marion Bartoli noticed some friction between Roig and Swiatek during the fourth round match-up.

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“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,” said the Frenchwoman.

“He wants her to let the ball drop, stay far behind the baseline, and start the point. Fortunately for Iga Swiatek, she’s been trying to close out the point a fraction too early despite Francisco Roig’s advice and he’s not happy about it.”

And that was not the only tension noticed between Roig and Swiatek, either, as the Pole looked to be unhappy with Rafael Nadal’s former coach.

Martina Navratilova, on commentary for Sky Sports Tennis, noticed that Roig gave Swiatek some bizarre advice mid-match against Zheng.

“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,” said Navratilova. “That’s just a peculiar piece of advice. And now maybe she’s questioning everything.”

Swiatek’s exit at the fourth round of the US Open leaves her at world No 9 in the world and she also lost a record that she had held for her entire career.

Before her defeat to Zheng at Flushing Meadows, Swiatek had never lost to a qualifier or lucky loser at a Grand Slam.

That is gone and so are Swiatek’s hopes of winning a Grand Slam in the 2026 season, which is remarkable for a player who has claimed six majors since her debut year in 201.

What awaits Swiatek now is anyone’s guess, but the star will be expected to return to action during the WTA Tour’s Asian swing between September and November. That includes two Masters events at the China Open and the Wuhan Open.