Aryna Sabalenka edges Linda Noskova to maintain alive hopes of a third straight US Open title

NEW YORK (AP) — Aryna Sabalenka thought it was all slipping away. Her U.S. Open title reign and her prolonged maintain on the No. 1 rating in ladies’s tennis had been nearly gone.

Then Sabalenka proved she’s not giving any of it up with no battle.

Sabalenka saved alive her hopes for a 3rd straight U.S. Open title by edging Linda Noskova 7-6 (1), 3-6, 7-6 (10-7) on Tuesday in an exciting quarterfinal matchup of main champions.

“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 mentioned. “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 completed off the match with a second-serve ace to show again the Wimbledon champion and attain the semifinals in Flushing Meadows for the sixth straight yr.

Sabalenka — who wanted to win to keep up any hope of conserving the No. 1 rating — will face both No. 3 Jessica Pegula or No. 26 Emma Navarro on Thursday within the semifinals.

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz faces No. 8 Ben Shelton in a single males’s quarterfinal Tuesday, whereas No. 11 Frances Tiafoe met fellow American Alex Michelsen within the different.

Noskova, the No. 6 seed, gained her first main title on the All England Club and narrowly missed changing into the primary girl since Serena Williams in 2016 to comply with a title on the grass by reaching the ultimate 4 on the arduous courts of New York.

Sabalenka was at risk of her earliest exit on the U.S. Open since going out within the second spherical in 2020 when Noskova bought a break within the third set en path to a 4-2 lead. Sabalenka held after which performed certainly one of her greatest video games of the match, breaking at like to tie it at 4-all.

“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 mentioned. “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.”

She did, avoiding her first loss at the U.S. Open since Coco Gauff beat her in the 2023 final.

Noskova finished with 46 winners to Sabalenka’s 42, and she hit 18 aces to Sabalenka’s 12. Both players were able to end points quickly, and Sabalenka also showed off some impressive speed in tracking down drop shots.

Sabalenka came to the U.S. Open far off her usual form on hard courts, losing in the fourth round in both Toronto and Cincinnati after falling at that stage at Wimbledon. But she had recovered in New York, not dropping a set en route to the quarterfinals.

She appeared struggling to stay under control at one point, changing her racket during the third set while trying to regain her touch. She went behind 2-0 in the match tiebreaker but pulled ahead for good when Noskova double-faulted to make it 4-3, and Sabalenka took the next two points for some critical breathing room.

“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 on the similar time, Aryna, she performed the perfect tennis that she may in these moments, which didn’t actually make it simple for me.”

Sabalenka will lose the No. 1 rating she has held for 99 consecutive weeks if No. 2 Elena Rybakina beats Zheng Qinwen on Wednesday to achieve the semifinals. If Rybakina loses, Sabalenka can maintain her maintain on it by profitable the title.

Noskova completed together with her greatest run on the U.S. Open. She had reached just one main quarterfinal, on the 2024 Australian Open, earlier than beating fellow Czech Karolina Muchova for the Wimbledon title.

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