Sabalenka keeps third straight US Open title hopes alive

NEW YORK (AP):

Aryna Sabalenka thought it was all slipping away. Her reign as US Open champion and her lengthy hold on the No. 1 ranking in women’s tennis both appeared to be in jeopardy.

Then Sabalenka showed she was not prepared to give up either without a fight.

The Belarusian kept alive her hopes of a third straight US Open title by edging Linda Noskova 7-6 (1), 3-6, 7-6 (10-7) yesterday in a thrilling quarter-final clash.

“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 closed out the contest with a second-serve ace to deny the Wimbledon champion and reach the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows for the sixth consecutive year.

The top seed, who needed victory to preserve any hope of retaining the No. 1 ranking, will face either No. 3 Jessica Pegula or No. 26 Emma Navarro in Thursday’s semi-finals.

Noskova, the sixth seed, won her first major title at Wimbledon and narrowly missed becoming the first woman since Serena Williams in 2016 to follow a grass-court Grand Slam title by reaching the final four in New York.

Sabalenka was on course for her earliest US Open exit since a second-round defeat in 2020 when Noskova broke serve in the deciding set to open a 4-2 lead. However, Sabalenka held serve and then produced one of her best games of the match, breaking at love to level 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.”

She did just that, avoiding her first loss at the US Open since Coco Gauff defeated her in the 2023 final.

Noskova finished with 46 winners to Sabalenka’s 42 and struck 18 aces compared to her opponent’s 12. Both players regularly shortened points, while Sabalenka also displayed impressive speed in tracking down drop shots.

Sabalenka arrived in New York well below her usual hard-court standards, having lost in the fourth round in both Toronto and Cincinnati after suffering a fourth-round exit at Wimbledon. However, she rediscovered her form at the US Open, reaching the quarter-finals without dropping a set.

At one stage, she appeared to be struggling for rhythm, changing her racket in the third set as she searched for answers. She fell behind 2-0 in the deciding tiebreak but moved ahead for good when Noskova double-faulted to make it 4-3. Sabalenka then won the next two points to create crucial breathing space.

“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.”

Sabalenka will lose the No. 1 ranking, which she has held for 99 consecutive weeks, if No. 2 Elena Rybakina defeats Zheng Qinwen today to reach the semi-finals. If Rybakina loses, Sabalenka can retain the ranking by winning the title.

Noskova completed her best run at the US Open. Before capturing the Wimbledon crown, she had reached only one previous major quarter-final, at the 2024 Australian Open.