Arina Sabalenka from Belarus defeated American Tyler Townsend in the women's singles round of 16 at the US Open. The match took place on the eighth day of the tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.
World No. 1 Arina Sabalenka advanced to the US Open quarterfinals on Sunday, beating American Tyler Townsend with a score of 6-4, 6-3. This victory allowed her to maintain her chances for a rare triumph at the US Open.
At the start of the match, there were five service games played, after which Sabalenka was able to confidently hold serve, taking a 4-2 lead in the first set. Townsend's strong returns and net play initially put the Belarusian star in a difficult position.
Townsend made a double fault, which allowed her to gain a game, and then she managed to break serve again in the fourth game with a powerful return of serve. However, Sabalenka's consistent strength and accuracy proved too much.
Townsend managed to break Sabalenka's serve when she served behind the baseline at 5-2, but by the time the American managed to hold serve at 5-4, it was too late. Sabalenka held serve twice to win the set, saving a break point, and finished the set with a signature forehand winner.
The second set was more traditional, and neither player faced a break point in the first three games. However, Sabalenka made the first error. After sending a forehand into the net, giving Townsend a break point, Sabalenka hit a weak second serve, which Townsend punished with a return winner, gaining a game and a 3-1 advantage.
Nevertheless, Sabalenka immediately regained the game, starting a run of five consecutive games won to take the match. The Belarusian, who must win to maintain her No. 1 ranking in New York, will face either sixth seed Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova from the Czech Republic or eleventh seed Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk in the semifinals.