- Defending Champion Sabalenka Survives Three-Set to Stay on Course for US Open Hat-Trick
World number one and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka has reached the semi-finals of the 2026 US Open after surviving a tense three-set battle against Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova in New York.
Sabalenka edged the sixth-seeded Czech 7-6, 3-6, 7-6 in two hours and 22 minutes, holding her nerve in a deciding tie-break after being pushed to the limit. The victory extends her remarkable run at Flushing Meadows to a sixth consecutive semi-final appearance.
Sabalenka took the opening set through a dominant tie-break, winning it 7-1 after neither player could establish clear control earlier in the set.
Noskova responded strongly in the second, using her serve and aggressive baseline play to force errors and level the match. The Czech finished with 18 aces and saved seven of nine break points, underlining the pressure she placed on the defending champion.
The deciding set proved the most dramatic of the contest. Noskova moved ahead by a break and appeared to be closing in on the biggest win of her campaign, but Sabalenka recovered to force another tie-break. She then edged the decider 10-7, sealing victory with an ace.
The result keeps Sabalenka on course for a third consecutive US Open women’s singles title. She won the tournament in 2024 and 2025 and is now attempting to become the first woman since Serena Williams to claim three straight titles in New York. Williams achieved the feat from 2014 to 2016.
Sabalenka said after the match that surviving the contest had required composure as much as power. While the source does not provide a direct post-match quotation, the match itself showed her ability to recover from pressure after dropping the second set and falling behind in the third. Her resilience in the final tie-break was especially important against an opponent serving at such a high level.
Noskova’s performance nevertheless reinforced why she has emerged as one of the most dangerous players on the women’s tour. Her 18 aces and aggressive shot-making repeatedly forced Sabalenka into defensive positions, while her ability to save break points kept the match finely balanced.
The quarter-final defeat therefore came only after she had pushed the world number one to the final stages of the deciding tie-break.
Sabalenka had entered the quarter-finals without dropping a set in her opening four matches. Her fourth-round victory came against Taylor Townsend, whom she defeated 6-4, 6-3, but Noskova presented a considerably different challenge by combining power from the baseline with one of the strongest serving performances Sabalenka had faced in the tournament. The quarter-final was therefore the first real test of her title defence.
The six straight US Open semi-final appearances also underline Sabalenka’s consistency at one of the sport’s most demanding tournaments.
Reaching the last four every year over such a sustained period reflects not only her power game but her ability to reproduce it under pressure across different draws and conditions. That consistency has become one of the defining features of her status as the world number one.
Sabalenka will next face either American third seed Jessica Pegula or Emma Navarro in the semi-finals. Both potential opponents would present a different challenge, with the possibility of another strong home-crowd atmosphere in New York.
The defending champion will nevertheless enter the match with momentum after surviving her toughest contest of the tournament so far.
The victory also keeps Sabalenka’s battle to retain the world number one ranking alive. Second seed Elena Rybakina remains a threat in the standings, meaning the latter stages of the US Open carry significance beyond the title itself. Every match now has implications both for the championship and for the balance at the top of the women’s rankings.
For Sabalenka, however, the immediate focus will be on recovering physically and mentally from a match that demanded more than two hours of high-intensity tennis.
The quarter-final exposed vulnerabilities, particularly when Noskova dictated with her serve and first-strike tennis, but it also showed the defending champion’s ability to stay composed when momentum shifted against her. That capacity to survive difficult matches is often decisive in the second week of a Grand Slam.
Sabalenka’s title defence has therefore moved into its most demanding phase. She remains two wins away from a third straight US Open crown, but the narrow victory over Noskova is a reminder that the margin between progress and elimination is becoming increasingly small.
Her sixth consecutive semi-final confirms her consistency in New York; the next challenge is turning that consistency into another championship.
