Aryna Sabalenka Survives Epic Tie-Break to Reach US Open

Aryna Sabalenka is through to the US Open semi-finals after a monumental battle on Tuesday, September 8, 2026. The defending champion edged Wimbledon winner Linda Noskova 7-6(1), 3-6, 7-6(7) in a quarter-final thriller, saving her bid for a third consecutive title in New York. Her world No. 1 ranking, however, remains under immediate threat.

Sabalenka's ranking hinges on the final result

Sabalenka's victory guarantees she stays atop the WTA rankings for at least one more day. But her 99-week reign will definitively end on Wednesday if Elena Rybakina wins her quarter-final. To retain the top spot, Sabalenka must win the tournament outright. If Rybakina loses, the door opens for Jessica Pegula or Coco Gauff to claim No. 1 by lifting the trophy on Saturday. This high-stakes scenario adds intense pressure to Sabalenka's semi-final, where she will face the winner of the all-American clash between Pegula and Emma Navarro.

The path to a historic three-peat

Sabalenka is chasing a slice of history. No woman has won the US Open three years in a row since Serena Williams achieved the feat from 2012 to 2014. Her quarter-final win was a severe test of that ambition. After cruising through the fourth round with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Taylor Townsend on September 7, she faced a resurgent Noskova. The Czech player, who needed six match points to defeat Marta Kostyuk in the previous round, fought back from 5-2 down in the first set and led 4-2 in the decider. Sabalenka sealed the match with a second-serve ace in a final-set tie-break, a moment of pure nerve.

A look at the semi-final landscape

The bottom half of the draw has solidified around the top seeds. Sabalenka's next opponent will be determined by the night session match between third seed Jessica Pegula and American compatriot Emma Navarro. Pegula advanced to the quarter-finals with a straight-sets victory on Day 8, as did Navarro. The other semi-final will feature the winner from the top half, where Elena Rybakina faces Qinwen Zheng and Coco Gauff meets Iva Jovic.

How the quarter-final unfolded

The match against Noskova was a rollercoaster of momentum shifts. Sabalenka seemed in control early, building a 5-2 lead in the opening set. But Noskova, the sixth seed, clawed back to force a tie-break, which Sabalenka dominated 7-1. The Belarusian then dropped the second set 6-3. In the deciding set, she fell behind 4-2 before mounting a characteristic power surge to force a second tie-break. She finally clinched victory after two hours and forty minutes of intense combat, a win built on raw power and resilience.

• Aryna Sabalenka defeated Linda Noskova 7-6(1), 3-6, 7-6(7) in the US Open quarter-finals on September 8, 2026.
• Her world No. 1 ranking will be lost unless she wins the tournament, with Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, and Coco Gauff all in contention.
• Sabalenka is aiming to be the first woman to three-peat at the US Open since Serena Williams (2012-2014).
• She will face either Jessica Pegula or Emma Navarro in the semi-finals.