Aryna Sabalenka kept her hopes of winning a third straight US Open title alive after edging Linda Noskova 7-6 (1), 3-6, 7-6 (10-7) in a thrilling quarterfinal on Tuesday.Sabalenka looked close to losing her title defence and her hopes of staying No. 1 in the world. But she fought back when it mattered most and reached the US Open semifinals for the sixth straight year.“What a battle. What an incredible player she is and I’m speechless right now because I was pushing myself to the limit in this match, especially in the third set,” Sabalenka said. “I honestly thought that that’s it, the match is over and probably that’s what helped me to kind of like, I don’t know, feel loose and just go after my shots.”Sabalenka will face either No. 3 Jessica Pegula or No. 26 Emma Navarro in the semifinals on Thursday.She finished the match with a second-serve ace to beat Wimbledon champion Noskova and move into the last four.
Sabalenka fights back in the third set
Sabalenka was in danger of suffering her earliest US Open exit since 2020 when Noskova broke her serve in the third set and moved 4-2 ahead.But Sabalenka held serve and then produced one of her best games of the match. She broke Noskova at love to level the set at 4-4.“I just felt at some point in the third set she was definitely serving better than me and putting so much pressure on me,” Sabalenka said. “But I’m glad that I kind of threw that thought away and I was able to focus point by point and, like, literally just trying to build something bigger in that moment.“I got, not lucky, but I’m happy the way I broke her serve at 3-4. I think I really played a great intensity level of tennis, and that really gave me so much confidence that I still can get the win in this match.”Sabalenka eventually won the match tiebreak 10-7. She went 2-0 down but moved ahead for good when Noskova double-faulted to make it 4-3. Sabalenka then won the next two points to gain some breathing room.She avoided her first US Open loss since Coco Gauff beat her in the 2023 final.
Noskova puts up a strong fight
Noskova, the No. 6 seed, had won her first major title at Wimbledon and came close to reaching the US Open semifinals.She finished with 46 winners and 18 aces, compared with Sabalenka’s 42 winners and 12 aces.Both players looked to finish points quickly, while Sabalenka also showed good speed in chasing down drop shots.“Being a break up in the third set, it’s not very easy. Also having a little break at the start of the tiebreak in the third one, as well, it’s frustrating, obviously,” Noskova said.“But at the same time, Aryna, she played the best tennis that she could in those moments, which didn’t really make it easy for me.”Noskova finished with her best run at the US Open. Before this tournament, she had reached only one Grand Slam quarterfinal, at the 2024 Australian Open.
No. 1 ranking also at stake
Sabalenka came into the US Open after losing in the fourth round in Toronto and Cincinnati. She had also exited Wimbledon at the same stage.However, she found her form in New York and did not drop a set before reaching the quarterfinals.Sabalenka needed to win this match to keep alive her hopes of remaining No. 1. She will lose the top ranking, which she has held for 99 consecutive weeks, if No. 2 Elena Rybakina beats Zheng Qinwen on Wednesday to reach the semifinals.If Rybakina loses, Sabalenka can keep the No. 1 ranking by winning the US Open title.
