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World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka kept her bid for a third consecutive US Open title alive after rallying from a 4-2 deficit in the deciding set to defeat Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova 7-6(1), 3-6, 7-6(7) and reach the semifinals at Flushing Meadows.
The top seed sealed the hard-fought quarterfinal victory in two hours and 22 minutes, extending her winning streak at the US Open to 18 matches, according to the WTA website. Sabalenka is now through to her sixth consecutive US Open semifinal and 15th Grand Slam semifinal overall. She is two victories away from becoming the first woman since Serena Williams, who won three straight US Open titles from 2012 to 2014, to achieve the feat in New York. https://x.com/usopen/status/2097392377237287275?s=20 Noskova produced 46 winners, including 18 aces, and saved seven of nine break points. Sabalenka responded with 42 winners and 12 aces, clinching the match on her first match point with a second-serve ace out wide. The victory marked Sabalenka's first win over a Top 10 opponent since defeating Coco Gauff in the Miami final in March and her sixth such victory of the 2026 season. It was also Sabalenka's first three-set win at a Grand Slam this year after she lost to Elena Rybakina in the Australian Open final and Diana Shnaider in the Roland Garros quarterfinals. Sabalenka also ended Noskova's six-match winning streak in third-set tiebreaks and improved her own record in deciding-set tiebreaks this season to 2-1. The match was the first meeting between reigning Grand Slam champions since the Miami final and the first clash between two Top 10 players at this year's US Open. Sabalenka will next face either third seed Jessica Pegula or 26th seed Emma Navarro in the semifinals. A meeting with Pegula would be the 14th encounter between the two players, with Sabalenka having defeated the American at the US Open in each of the last two years. ANI)
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