Aryna Sabalenka needed every bit of her fight to get past Linda Noskova in the US Open quarterfinals, winning 7-6 (7/1), 3-6, 7-6 (10/7) on Arthur Ashe Stadium. The result keeps the world number one’s bid for a third straight US Open title alive and sends her into a sixth consecutive semifinal in New York.
Background: Two Major Champions Colliding
Noskova arrived at this match as the reigning Wimbledon champion, and it showed. The 21-year-old Czech had already knocked out plenty of doubters just by getting this far, and she came into Arthur Ashe playing like someone who genuinely believed she could beat the top seed. Sabalenka, for her part, had rolled through the tournament without dropping a set until this one.
The stakes went beyond the match itself. Sabalenka needed the win just to keep hold of her world number one ranking for at least another day, with Elena Rybakina lurking in the other half of the draw and capable of overtaking her with a strong run of her own.
Match Details: A Battle That Turned Twice
Sabalenka blitzed the opening tiebreak 7-1 after both players struggled to find their footing early on. It looked, briefly, like business as usual for the top seed. Noskova had other plans.
The second set flipped the momentum entirely. Noskova’s serve came alive, she leaned on 18 aces across the match, and she took the set 6-3 to become the first player to take a set off Sabalenka anywhere in the tournament. Sabalenka’s forehand, sharp all week, started misfiring at exactly the wrong moment.
The third set turned into the kind of match tennis fans remember. Noskova broke to go up 4-2 and had the crowd sensing an upset. Sabalenka said afterward she briefly thought the match had slipped away and, oddly enough, that’s what loosened her up and got her swinging freely again. She broke back to love, forced a second tiebreak, dropped the first two points of it, then clawed her way to victory with a second-serve ace on match point.
Quotes: Sabalenka Reflects on the Fight
“What a battle,” Sabalenka told the Arthur Ashe crowd after the match. She admitted the third set had rattled her more than she expected, saying she pushed herself to the limit and briefly thought the contest was over before finding a way back.
“I honestly thought that was it, the match was over, and that’s what helped me to feel loose and go for my shots,” she said, crediting that mental shift for her comeback in the deciding tiebreak.
Sabalenka vs Noskova H2H
This win extended Sabalenka’s career record over Noskova to 3-0, having already beaten her in the 2023 Adelaide International final and again at Indian Wells earlier this year. Tuesday’s match was by far their closest, and Noskova’s performance, 46 winners against Sabalenka’s 42, suggests this rivalry is only going to get tighter the more they play.
Impact: What This Means for the Rest of the Draw
Sabalenka has now won 18 straight matches at Flushing Meadows, closing in on a piece of history. Two more wins would make her the first woman since Serena Williams’s 2012-14 run to take three straight US Open titles. The ranking picture is messier, though: even a title might not hold onto number one for her if Elena Rybakina, who already beat her in this year’s Australian Open final, makes the semifinals on the other side of the draw.
For context on that rivalry, Sabalenka currently leads Rybakina 10-7 in their head-to-head, with their most recent meeting going Sabalenka’s way at the Miami Open final in March. If Rybakina gets past her own quarterfinal, the ranking math shifts regardless of how Sabalenka’s own matches go.
One name that won’t factor into Sabalenka’s path this year is Amanda Anisimova, last year’s runner-up. Anisimova was eliminated in the third round of this tournament, so any “Sabalenka vs Anisimova” talk belongs to last year’s final rather than this one.
Coco Gauff, on the other hand, remains alive in the bottom half and would meet Sabalenka in the final if both players keep winning. Sabalenka currently leads that head-to-head 7-6 after their Miami Open final earlier this year, a rivalry that’s produced some of the best women’s tennis of the last few seasons, including two Grand Slam finals.
What’s Next: Sabalenka’s Semifinal Test
Sabalenka will face the winner of the Jessica Pegula-Emma Navarro semifinal for a place in Saturday’s final. She’s met Pegula in a Grand Slam semifinal before, in a rematch of last year’s US Open final, so neither outcome would be unfamiliar territory.
Fans wondering where to watch the rest of the tournament can catch the semifinals and final through the US Open’s official broadcast partners, including ESPN in the United States and Sky Sports in the UK, with streaming available through their respective apps and the US Open’s own digital platforms.
FAQs
Who has beaten Sabalenka this year?
Elena Rybakina is the most notable name, having defeated Sabalenka in the 2026 Australian Open final and again at the WTA Finals in Riyadh last November. Coco Gauff has also beaten her twice this year across their rivalry, including a tough three-set French Open final. Despite those losses, Sabalenka has remained the most consistent hardcourt player on tour, reaching the US Open semifinals for a sixth straight year.
Is Sabalenka still playing in the US Open?
Yes. Sabalenka reached the semifinals after beating Linda Noskova in a three-set quarterfinal thriller on Arthur Ashe Stadium. She’s chasing a third consecutive US Open title and needs to keep winning both to make history and to protect her world number one ranking against Elena Rybakina’s push in the other half of the draw.
Has Rybakina ever defeated Sabalenka?
Yes, multiple times. Rybakina holds wins over Sabalenka at the 2026 Australian Open final and the 2025 WTA Finals in Riyadh, among others. Even so, Sabalenka currently leads their overall head-to-head 10-7, including a win at this year’s Miami Open, making it one of the more competitive rivalries in the women’s game right now.
