US Open 2026: Aryna Sabalenka Fights Back To Beat Linda Noskova, Keeps Title Defence And No 1 Ranking Alive

Aryna Sabalenka kept alive her bid for a third straight U.S. Open title with a 7-6 (1), 3-6, 7-6 (10-7) win over Linda Noskova in Tuesday’s quarterfinal. She also kept her hopes of retaining the No. 1 ranking in women’s tennis alive.

The victory sends Sabalenka into a semifinal against No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula and takes her to the last four at Flushing Meadows for the sixth straight year. She needed the win to keep any chance of holding on to top spot alive.

Tiebreaker Finish

It came down to the smallest margins.

Sabalenka ended the match with a second-serve ace to turn back the Wimbledon champion after a third set that swung repeatedly. Noskova moved 4-2 ahead before Sabalenka broke back and levelled at 4-all, pulling herself back from the brink of her earliest U.S. Open exit since a second-round loss in 2020.

“What a battle. What an incredible player she is and I’m speechless right now because I was pushing myself to the limit in this match, especially in the third set,” Sabalenka said. “I honestly thought that that’s it, the match is over and probably that’s what helped me to kind of like, I don’t know, feel loose and just go after my shots.”

The numbers showed how tight it was. Noskova finished with 46 winners and 18 aces, while Sabalenka had 42 winners and 12 aces. Sabalenka also changed her racket during the third set as she tried to regain control of her game.

The final tiebreak opened badly for her. Sabalenka fell 2-0 behind but moved in front for good when Noskova double-faulted to make it 4-3, then won the next two points to create space.

“I just felt at some point in the third set she was definitely serving better than me and putting so much pressure on me,” Sabalenka said. "But I’m glad that I kind of threw that thought away and I was able to focus point by point and, like, literally just trying to build something bigger in that moment.

“I got, not lucky, but I’m happy the way I broke her serve at 3-4. I think I really played a great intensity level of tennis, and that really gave me so much confidence that I still can get the win in this match.”

Noskova was left to rue the missed chance. “Being a break up in the third set, it’s not very easy. Also having a little break at the start of the tiebreak in the third one, as well, it’s frustrating, obviously,” Noskova said.

"But at the same time, Aryna, she played the best tennis that she could in those moments, which didn’t really make it easy for me."

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Pegula And Ranking

Pegula came through from a set down.

The American rallied past No. 26 Emma Navarro 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 to book her semifinal against Sabalenka. Sabalenka beat Pegula in the 2024 U.S. Open final and again in last year’s semifinals after dropping the first set.

The ranking picture is still shifting. Sabalenka will lose the No. 1 spot she has held for 99 straight weeks if No. 2 Elena Rybakina beats Zheng Qinwen on Wednesday and reaches the semifinals. If Rybakina loses, Sabalenka can stay at No. 1 by winning the title.

Her run in New York has come after uneven results on hard courts. Sabalenka lost in the fourth round in Toronto and Cincinnati and also exited at that stage at Wimbledon before arriving at the U.S. Open, though she had not dropped a set before the Noskova match.

Other Quarterfinal Action

The long matches stretched deep into the night.

In the first men’s quarterfinal, No. 11 Frances Tiafoe rallied past Alex Michelsen 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (10-6). Tiafoe will next face defending champion Carlos Alcaraz or No. 8 Ben Shelton.

That quarterfinal started just after 11 p.m. after the first three matches all ran long. The delays had already pushed Pegula and Navarro on court nearly 90 minutes later than the usual 7 p.m. start for the night session.

Noskova’s run still stood out. The No. 6 seed won her first major title at Wimbledon and came close to becoming the first woman since Serena Williams in 2016 to reach the U.S. Open semifinals after winning at the All England Club. Her only other major quarterfinal had come at the 2024 Australian Open, before she beat fellow Czech Karolina Muchova for the Wimbledon title.

She still leaves New York with her best result there.