Aryna Sabalenka was staring at the possibility of losing it all.
Her bid for a third consecutive U.S. Open title was in serious danger, while her long reign as the world’s No. 1-ranked woman was also under threat. But with the pressure mounting, Sabalenka summoned the resolve to keep both pursuits alive.
The top seed battled past Linda Noskova 7-6 (1), 3-6, 7-6 (10-7) in a gripping quarterfinal Tuesday, surviving a late scare to reach the semifinals and keep her title defense and No. 1 ranking hopes intact.
“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.
The Belarusian admitted she had begun to believe the match was slipping away.
“I honestly thought that’s it, the match is over,” she said. “Probably that’s what helped me to, I don’t know, feel loose and just go after my shots.”
Sabalenka will next face No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula, who rallied past No. 26 Emma Navarro 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
The matchup offers Sabalenka another chance to continue her recent dominance over Pegula at the U.S. Open. Sabalenka defeated Pegula in the 2024 final and again in last year’s semifinals, rallying after dropping the opening set in both matches.
“To me, I think it’s fun to look at the rivalry we’ve had,” Pegula said. “She’s gotten me here the last couple of years. I have been able to beat her a few times, maybe on a smaller stage, so I think that’s going to be kind of a hurdle for me to get over.”
Sabalenka finished off Tuesday’s match with a second-serve ace to turn back the Wimbledon champion and reach the semifinals in Flushing Meadows for the sixth straight year.
The first men’s quarterfinal also went to a match tiebreaker, with No. 11 seed Frances Tiafoe rallying to beat Alex Michelsen 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (10-6). He will face defending champion Carlos Alcaraz or No. 8 seed Ben Shelton, who started their quarterfinal match just after 11 p.m. after the first three matches all went long.
The lengthy day session gave Pegula and Navarro a late start, nearly 90 minutes after the usual 7 p.m. beginning of the night session. Navarro was much better once it finally did begin, breaking Pegula’s serve twice in the opening set.
Pegula found her best tennis late, winning four straight games to take control after Navarro had broken her for a 2-1 lead in the third set.
Noskova, the No. 6 seed, won her first major title at the All England Club and narrowly missed becoming the first woman since Serena Williams in 2016 to follow a title on grass by reaching the final four on the hard courts of New York.
Sabalenka was in danger of her earliest exit at the U.S. Open since going out in the second round in 2020 when Noskova got a break in the third set en route to a 4-2 lead. Sabalenka held and then played one of her best games of the match, breaking at love to tie it at 4-all.
“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, avoiding her first loss at the U.S. Open since Coco Gauff beat her in the 2023 final.
Noskova finished with 46 winners to Sabalenka’s 42, and she hit 18 aces to Sabalenka’s 12. Both players were able to end points quickly, and Sabalenka also showed off some impressive speed in tracking down drop shots.
Sabalenka came to the U.S. Open far off her usual form on hard courts, losing in the fourth round in both Toronto and Cincinnati after falling at that stage at Wimbledon. But she had recovered in New York, not dropping a set en route to the quarterfinals.
She appeared to be struggling to stay under control at one point, changing her racket during the third set while trying to regain her touch. She went behind 2-0 in the match tiebreaker but pulled ahead for good when Noskova double-faulted to make it 4-3. Sabalenka then took the next two points for some critical breathing room.
“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 she has held for 99 consecutive weeks if No. 2 Elena Rybakina beats Zheng Qinwen on Wednesday to reach the semifinals. If Rybakina loses, Sabalenka can keep her hold on it by winning the title.
Noskova finished with her best run at the U.S. Open. She had reached only one major quarterfinal, at the 2024 Australian Open, before beating fellow Czech Karolina Muchova for the Wimbledon title.
