Arina Sabalenka defeated Linda Noskova in the quarterfinals of the women's singles tennis tournament at the US Open, which is being held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York. This victory allowed the two-time title defender to maintain her chances of winning the US Open trophy.
In the match, which took place on Tuesday, Sabalenka overcame the 21-year-old Wimbledon champion with a score of 7-6 (7/1), 3-6, 7-6 (10/7). The match was held at Arthur Ashe Stadium, where world number one faced American Ben Shelton as the eighth seed, and defending men's champion Carlos Alcaraz played in the last match of the evening.
After the victory, Sabalenka told the public: 'What a battle. I squeezed out all my strength, especially in the third set. I honestly thought it was over, and that helped me feel freer and attack the balls.'
The Belarusian athlete, who was trailing 4-2 in the third set after two double faults in the fifth game, managed to regain momentum. In the semifinals, Sabalenka will face Jessica Pegula, who previously defeated Emma Navarro with a score of 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Previously, Sabalenka had beaten Pegula in the 2024 US Open final, which was the American's only appearance in a Grand Slam title match, and also beat her in the semifinals last year.
Despite the season not yet bringing her additional major trophies to her four titles, Sabalenka managed to recover from frustration and win a game against Noskova without losing, leveling the score at 4-4. They then proceeded to a decisive tie-break, where Sabalenka, after losing the first two points, came back and secured the victory with a bold ace on the second serve.
Noskova hit 18 aces and won 46 points, while Sabalenka won 42 points, becoming the first player to take a set off Sabalenka during the tournament.
Sabalenka has won 18 consecutive matches at Flushing Meadows and must continue this streak to have a chance to maintain her world number one status, which she has held since October 2024. However, even the title may not guarantee this, as the second-ranked Elena Rybakina could take first place if she beats Zheng Qinwen in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
This victory was Sabalenka's first success against a top-10 player since her victory over Coco Gauff in the Miami final in March. This is her third title in 2026, but she has struggled since, falling in the early stages of Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
American player Francis Tiafoe also went through a difficult match, recovering after trailing by two sets and erasing a 3-0 deficit in the fifth set to defeat his 22-year-old compatriot Alex Michelsen with a score of 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (10/6).
Michelsen, ranked 46th, reached his first Grand Slam quarterfinal without dropping a set. He was serving for the match at 5-4 in the third set. Tiafoe noted: 'He gave me a few gifts, a couple of double faults there. But then I slowly started finding my rhythm, got through the third set, and gradually started playing better and better.'
Tiafoe also added that Michelsen is a 'damn good player,' who cried in Tiafoe's embrace after four hours and 38 minutes of the match. Tiafoe continued to play confidently in the fourth set, and when Michelsen responded, Tiafoe refused to give up, fighting for the deciding set and reaching the Flushing Meadows semifinals for the third time in five years.
He will face either Alcaraz or Shelton. Shelton stated that he expects the Spaniard to be in full form, despite the seven-time Grand Slam champion playing his first tournament more than four months after recovering from right wrist injury.
