Qinwen Zheng has approved of the new nickname given to her by fans as she prepares for her maiden Grand Slam quarter-final at the US Open.

Twenty-third seed Zheng has had a dream run so far at the last Grand Slam of the year in New York. The 20-year-old defeated Nadia Podoroska, Kaia Kanepi, and Lucia Bronzetti before ousting fifth seed and defending runner-up Ons Jabeur in the Round of 16.

Zheng flew past the Tunisian player, winning the match in straight sets 6-2, 6-4. This makes her just the fourth Chinese player in women's singles to reach this stage of the US Open, after Li Na in 2009 and 2013, Peng Shuai in 2014, and Wang Qiang in 2019. Zheng's best result at a major before this Slam was reaching the fourth round of the French Open in 2022.

Following her win over Jabeur, Zheng was asked in her on-court interview about a new nickname that more fans have been calling her as she progresses through the tournament, this being 'Queenwen.'

"I especially love this nickname, Queenwen. Come on, it’s Queen!" she exclaimed.

This deep run at the US Open comes after a successful season for Zheng that has seen her rise up the rankings. In 2022, she was named WTA Newcomer of the Year, and earlier this season she won her first WTA title at the 2023 Palermo Ladies Open, defeating Jasmine Paolini in the final.

Zheng now has a tough challenge ahead of her as she gets ready to face second seed Aryna Sabalenka in the quarter-finals of the major at Flushing Meadows. This will be the first time that the players have faced each other.

The Belarusian has won all of her matches in straight sets so far, suggesting that she is very much on form. Moreover, she may have some extra momentum from knowing she will become World No. 1 for the first time in her career when the WTA Ranking is updated next week, following Iga Swiatek's defeat in the Round of 16.

However, Zheng has built up plenty of momentum herself, and regardless of how she does in the match, it is unlikely that her fans will stop calling her a queen anytime soon.