Aryna Sabalenka Edges Linda Noskova in US Open Quarterfinal
NEW YORK — Aryna Sabalenka walked the tightrope again on Arthur Ashe Stadium, raged at herself, flirted with defeat, then slammed down a second-serve ace on match point.
Still No. 1. Still alive for a US Open three‑peat.
The defending champion edged Wimbledon winner Linda Noskova 7-6(1), 3-6, 7-6(7) in a gripping, two-hour, 22-minute quarterfinal that swung wildly between dominance and near-collapse.
Fast start, sudden storm
For 20 minutes, Sabalenka looked untouchable.
The serve that had deserted her at times against Taylor Townsend was back, heavy and precise. She tore out to a 3-0 lead, bullying the No. 6 seed from Czechia off the baseline and dictating with that trademark first-strike aggression.
Serving at 5-3, she had the set in her hands.
Then came the double fault.
Sabalenka’s scream after the error echoed around Ashe, a raw burst of frustration that seemed to open the door for Noskova. The Czech stepped through it, breaking Sabalenka, then rolling through three straight games to drag the set into a tiebreak.
The reaction from Sabalenka was ruthless. She reset, tightened the screws, and ripped through the breaker 7-1, blasting her way to the opening set with the authority of a four-time Grand Slam champion who refuses to yield on this court.
Noskova hits back
The match flipped again in the second.
Sabalenka’s forehand, so destructive early, began to leak errors. The rhythm went. The shoulders tightened. Noskova sensed it instantly.
In her first US Open quarterfinal, she didn’t blink. She started landing her spots on serve, carving out angles and piling up free points with a delivery Sabalenka struggled to read. The Czech’s confidence grew with every hold.
Sabalenka’s frustration was visible, the errors mounting as Noskova dragged her into longer, more physical rallies and refused to back down. On her fourth set point, Noskova unleashed one of her 18 aces, a rocket Sabalenka didn’t even move for, sealing the set and leveling the match.
Suddenly, the reigning champion looked vulnerable. Noskova looked ready to pounce.
On the brink, then back again
The decider turned into a test of nerve.
Sabalenka cracked first. Broken in the fifth game of the third set after another unforced error, she dropped into a crouch and let out another scream, the pressure of the moment spilling out.
Noskova led 4-2 and had the momentum, her serve still humming, her composure intact. The upset felt close.
That was the moment Sabalenka dug in.
She began swinging freer, stepping into returns, taking the ball early, ripping through the court with the kind of fearless aggression that has carried her to the top of the rankings. Three games in a row flew onto her side of the scoreboard. The power returned. The body language changed.
Noskova refused to fade. She held firm, pushed the set all the way to a deciding tiebreak, and kept landing big serves under pressure. The tension inside Ashe was thick by the time they reached 7-7.
Then Sabalenka made her move.
Two points from defeat in her own mind, she attacked with nothing to lose. On match point, she went bold: a second serve, hit not with caution but with conviction, streaked past Noskova for an ace. The Czech could only watch.
It was a finish worthy of the struggle that came before it.
“What a battle, what an incredible player she is. I'm speechless right now because I was pushing myself to the limit in this match, especially in the third set,” Sabalenka said on court afterward. “I honestly thought that the match is over. I think that's what helped me to feel loose and go after my shots. I'm super happy to get this win. It was a tough match, a tough battle.”
No. 1 for now — but for how long?
Sabalenka’s title defense and bid for a historic US Open three‑peat remain intact. So does her grip on the No. 1 ranking — at least for another day.
She has held the top spot since October 2024, but her future there no longer rests solely in her own hands. Elena Rybakina’s quarterfinal against Qinwen Zheng now looms large over the rankings race.
If Rybakina wins that match, she will rise to No. 1 regardless of what Sabalenka or anyone else does for the rest of the tournament. Zheng, who has staged remarkable comebacks from 0-5 set deficits in each of her last two matches, stands in her way.
Sabalenka has survived, fought through her nerves, and earned two more chances to defend her crown. Whether she does it as the world’s top-ranked player is about to be decided somewhere else.
