Aryna Sabalenková survived Linda Nosková’s thriller and kept her hopes of a third straight US Open title alive

Aryna Sabalenka (image credit: X) Aryna Sabalenkova kept alive her hopes of a third consecutive US Open title after overcoming Linda Nosková 7-6 (1), 3-6, 7-6 (10-7) in a thrilling quarter-final on Tuesday.Sabalenka looked like she would lose her title defense and her hopes of retaining the world number one. But she fought back when it mattered most, reaching the US Open semifinals for the sixth year in a row.“What a battle. She’s an incredible player and I’m speechless right now because I pushed the limit in this match, especially in the third set,” Sabalenka said. “Honestly, I thought that was it, the game was over, and that’s probably what helped me feel relaxed and go for my shots.Sabalenkova will face either No. 3 Jessica Pegula or No. 26 Emma Navarro in Thursday’s semifinals.She closed out the match with a second-serve ace to defeat Wimbledon champion Noskova and move into the last four.

Sabalenková fights in the third set

Sabalenkova was in danger of suffering her first exit from the US Open since 2020 when Nosková broke serve in the third set to take a 4-2 lead.But Sabalenkova held her serve and then produced one of her best games of the match. She broke Nosková at love and leveled the set at 4:4.“At some point in the third set, I felt she was definitely serving better than me and putting so much pressure on me,” Sabalenka said. “But I’m glad I kind of put that thought aside and was able to focus point by point and literally try to build something bigger at the time.“I’m unlucky but I’m glad I broke her serve at 3-4. I think I really played high-intensity tennis and that gave me so much confidence that I can still win this match.”In the end, Sabalenkova won the match in a tiebreak 10-7. She was losing 2-0, but moved forward for good when Nosková double-faulted to make it 4-3. Sabalenka then won two more points to take a breather.She avoided her first loss at the US Open since Coco Gauff beat her in the 2023 final.

Nosková is putting up a strong fight

No. 6 seed Nosková won her first major title at Wimbledon and moved closer to the US Open semifinals.She finished with 46 winners and 18 aces, compared to Sabalenka’s 42 winners and 12 aces.Both players looked to finish points quickly, while Sabalenka also showed good speed chasing down drop shots.“It’s not very easy to escape in the third set. Also, having a little break at the beginning of the tiebreak in the third set is of course frustrating,” said Nosková.“But at the same time, Aryna, she was playing the best tennis she could at that moment, which didn’t make it very easy for me.Nosková finished with the best drive at the US Open. She had only reached one Grand Slam quarterfinal before this tournament, at the 2024 Australian Open.

The number 1 is also at stake

Sabalenkova entered the US Open after losing in the fourth round in Toronto and Cincinnati. She also left Wimbledon at the same stage.However, she found her form in New York and did not lose a set before the quarterfinals.Sabalenkova needed to win this match to keep alive her hopes of remaining No. 1. She will lose the top ranking she has held for 99 straight weeks if No. 2 Elena Rybakina beats Zheng Qinwen on Wednesday to reach the semifinals.If Rybakina loses, Sabalenkova can retain the No. 1 ranking by winning the US Open title.