World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka continued her title defense at the US Open, overcoming sixth-seeded Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic in a quarterfinal thriller 7:6 (7:1), 3:6, 7:6 (10:7), reports infohub.kz.
The match on Arthur Ashe Stadium lasted 2 hours 22 minutes. The first set went to a tiebreak, where Sabalenka dropped just one point, winning 7-1. In the second set, Noskova managed a break to level the match. Notably, before this encounter, Sabalenka had not dropped a single set in the tournament.
In the decisive set, the pair again reached a tiebreak, but this time it was played to ten points. Sabalenka prevailed 10-7 to book her place in the semifinals.
Match statistics show that Noskova outperformed the world No. 1 in several categories: the Czech hit 18 aces to Sabalenka's 12, made 46 winners against 42, and committed fewer unforced errors, 25 to 30. Noskova also converted three of six break points, while Sabalenka converted two of nine.
However, Sabalenka was significantly better on her second serve, winning 61% of those points compared to Noskova's 43%. The final point tally was 113-105 in Sabalenka's favor.
In the semifinals, the defending champion will face the winner of the American quarterfinal between Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro.
Meanwhile, the race for the WTA No. 1 ranking remains intriguing. Elena Rybakina, currently second, will play Zheng Qinwen in the quarterfinals. If the Kazakhstani wins and reaches the semifinals, she will become the world No. 1 for the first time in her career, regardless of Sabalenka's further results at the US Open.