Sabalenka holds off Noskova to keep US Open three-peat bid alive

Aryna Sabalenka survived a tense showdown with Linda Noskova on Arthur Ashe Stadium, prevailing in a final-set match tiebreak to reach the US Open semifinals for the sixth year running. The scoreline read 7-6 (7/1), 3-6, 7-6 (10/7) after Sabalenka mounted a late comeback in a match that tested both players’ nerves.

Noskova, the 21-year-old Wimbledon champion, pushed Sabalenka throughout, firing 18 aces and collecting 46 winners overall. Sabalenka struck 42 winners of her own but managed only two conversions from nine break point opportunities; Noskova became the first opponent to take a set off the top seed in this tournament.

Trailing 4-2 in the final set, Sabalenka regrouped and produced a decisive love break to level the set, forcing a tiebreak. She recovered from an early deficit in the breaker and clinched the victory with an ace on a second serve, completing a gritty finish that preserved her run at Flushing Meadows.

The win is Sabalenka’s first over a top-10 foe since beating Coco Gauff in the Miami final in March, a victory that was her third title of 2026. Despite that early-season success, she has had earlier exits at Roland Garros and Wimbledon this year. Sabalenka’s next opponent will be the winner of the quarterfinal between third seed Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro; Pegula is among three players at the tournament who entered with a theoretical chance to overtake Sabalenka’s world number one ranking.