Aryna Sabalenka Survives Thrilling US Open Quarterfinal
NEW YORK — Under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium, Aryna Sabalenka walked the tightrope, raged at herself, then finished with a second-serve ace to stay on course for a slice of US Open history.
The world No. 1 is still standing. Barely.
Sabalenka edged Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova 7-6(1), 3-6, 7-6(7) in a bruising, two-hour, 22-minute quarterfinal that swung wildly, twice seemed to slip from her grasp, and ended with Noskova frozen on match point as Sabalenka’s second serve whistled past her.
Two wins from a three-peat in New York. At least one more day on top of the rankings. And a reminder that Sabalenka’s greatest threat is often across the net — but sometimes inside her own head.
A flying start, then a familiar storm
The night began exactly how a four-time Grand Slam champion would script it.
Sabalenka, who had labored with her serve in the fourth round against Taylor Townsend, came out sharp and ruthless. The first serve bit, the second held up, and she bullied her way to a 3-0 lead in the opening set, looking every inch the dominant No. 1 she has been since October 2024.
Then the old volatility crept in.
Serving for the set at 5-3, Sabalenka double-faulted, let out a piercing scream and seemed to drag her own level down with it. Noskova, the No. 6 seed from Czechia playing in her first US Open quarterfinal, didn’t need another invitation. She broke, held, and broke again — three games in a row to drag the set into a tiebreak that had once looked out of reach.
Sabalenka reset instantly. The breaker was a blitz. She tore through it 7-1, striking cleanly, stepping inside the baseline, suffocating Noskova’s rhythm. The first set belonged to the defending champion, but the match was already telling a different story: this was not going to be routine.
Noskova swings back
Any illusion of control vanished in the second set.
Sabalenka’s forehand, so destructive when timed, began to misfire. Balls flew long, dragged wide, died in the net. The body language sagged. The racket swings grew heavier. Noskova saw the shift and pounced.
Her serve, already a weapon, turned into a lifeline and a hammer all at once. Point after point, she landed precise deliveries, especially out wide, and forced Sabalenka to defend from impossible positions. The Czech pushed the set to the brink, needing four chances to close it, but did so in style: one of her 18 aces, struck so cleanly that Sabalenka didn’t even move.
From a tiebreak thrashing to a level match. Noskova had dragged the No. 1 into a decider and looked fresher, calmer, more composed.
Chaos, then clarity
The third set felt like a test of nerve as much as tennis.
At 2-2, Sabalenka’s game cracked again. Broken in the fifth game after another unforced error, she crouched down and unleashed another scream — part frustration, part release. Noskova, now up 4-2, appeared to have the match tilting her way. The rallies were on her terms. The crowd sensed the upset brewing.
That’s when Sabalenka’s desperation turned into liberation.
“I honestly thought that the match is over,” she admitted on court afterward. “I think that's what helped me to feel loose and go after my shots.”
She swung freer. The feet moved quicker. The returns bit harder. Sabalenka ripped through three straight games, flipping 2-4 into 5-4 with the kind of raw, aggressive tennis that has defined her rise to the top. Noskova, who had been so precise, suddenly found herself scrambling.
Still, the Czech refused to fold. The set marched to a deciding tiebreak, a fitting end to a match that never really settled.
Sabalenka, once more, found another gear when the scoreboard demanded it. The rallies grew tighter, the margins thinner, and every point carried the weight of rankings, history, and momentum. On match point, with the tension at its peak, she didn’t roll in a safe first serve.
She went bold.
A second-serve ace. Noskova rooted to the spot. The stadium erupted.
“What a battle, what an incredible player she is,” Sabalenka said, still catching her breath. “I'm speechless right now because I was pushing myself to the limit in this match, especially in the third set. I'm super happy to get this win. It was a tough match, a tough battle.”
No. 1 on hold
The win keeps Sabalenka’s title defense alive, but her grip on the No. 1 ranking now hangs on someone else’s racket.
Elena Rybakina’s quarterfinal against Qinwen Zheng will decide it. If Rybakina wins, she will rise to No. 1 regardless of what Sabalenka or anyone else does for the rest of the tournament. Zheng, though, has made a habit this fortnight of climbing out of deep holes, coming back from 0-5 set deficits in each of her last two matches.
For now, Sabalenka wakes up still atop the sport, still chasing a third straight US Open crown, still walking that thin line between fury and brilliance.
If this quarterfinal is any indication, the line might be exactly where she’s most dangerous.
