Aryna Sabalenka thought she had lost her US Open crown before leaving herself “speechless” as she battled back to beat Linda Noskova in three sets and advance to the semi-finals.
Taken to a deciding set for the first time in this year’s tournament, the two-time defending champion trailed 4-2 in the third set and later 2-0 in the tie-break before recovering to close out a 7-6 (7-1) 3-6 7-6 (10-7) win.
It was the 28-year-old’s 19th consecutive win at the tournament, having not tasted defeat since the 2023 final, while she becomes the first woman since Serena Williams in 2016 to reach six successive semi-finals at Flushing Meadows.
Victory also ensures she clings on to her world number one ranking, though she will be overtaken at the top regardless if Elena Rybakina beats Zheng Qinwen on Wednesday.
Asked if she would be happy if she retained her US Open title but Rybakina replaced her at the head of the standings, Sabalenka said: “I’ll be more than happy. Three-peat – sounds great.
“I’m just super happy that I put myself in the position where I have chance to go for the three-peat, even though I’m still far away from that.”
Sabalenka will continue her bid to reach a fourth consecutive US Open final against Jessica Pegula, after the American third seed pulled off an impressive fightback of her own to defeat compatriot Emma Navarro 3-6 6-4 6-3.
The Belarusian has a history of letting her emotions get the better of her, most recently in her quarter-final defeat from a set up at the French Open.
But as in her previous match against Taylor Townsend, when she had her serve broken four times and trailed 3-1 in the second set, Sabalenka showed impressive composure to emerge victorious against Wimbledon champion Noskova.
“I’m speechless right now. I was pushing to the limit in this match, especially in the third set,” said Sabalenka.
“I honestly thought that that’s it, the match is over, but probably that’s what helped me to feel loose and go after my shots.”