Sabalenka outlasts Noskova in three-set thriller, keeps hopes of a third consecutive US Open title alive

Every big match has its own pulse. At Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday night, that pulse came from the silences between points, from the breathing of two players waiting to return serve. Aryna Sabalenka walked into the quarterfinal carrying two recent US Open titles. Linda Noskova arrived as the Wimbledon champion. Once the umpire called the score, all those titles were left behind. Only tennis remained, and with it, a chance to write deeper history. Sabalenka kept alive her hopes for a third straight US Open championship by defeating Noskova 7-6(1), 3-6, 7-6(10-7) in a tense quarterfinal. The victory came not from a trademark forehand, but from a second-serve ace at match point in the deciding tie-break. It was a statement of calm and nerve. Noskova, seeded sixth, played with courage. She pushed Sabalenka side to side in the second set, attacked second serves and made the world number one uncomfortable. The Czech player nearly became the first woman since Serena Williams in 2026 to follow a Wimbledon title by reaching the semifinals in New York. She led in the final tie-break but could not close it out. Sabalenka needed the win to keep the world number one ranking. She will now face Jessica Pegula or Emma Navarro in the semifinals. It is the sixth consecutive year she has reached the final four at Flushing Meadows. She won without playing her best tennis, which may be the most dangerous sign for her remaining opponents.