Two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka emulated Serena Williams as she finally overpowered American Taylor Townsend to achieve a sixth straight US Open quarter-final.
A topsy-turvy contest featured 10 breaks of serve, however Sabalenka recovered from 3-1 down within the second set to seal a 6-4 6-3 victory with a fifth consecutive sport.
It was the Belarusian’s 18th consecutive win on the match, extending her three-year unbeaten streak following back-to-back triumphs in 2024 and 2025.
Sabalenka, 28, is the primary girl to achieve six consecutive singles quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows since American nice Williams in 2016.
Six-time champion Williams was additionally the final participant to win three US Open titles in a row, and Sabalenka is now three wins from matching that feat.
She’s going to face Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova for a semi-final place, after the Czech sixth seed required six match factors to beat Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in a rollercoaster 7-5 5-7 6-4 win.
Regardless of the easy scoreline this was a tough match which required a resilient show from Sabalenka, who additionally had the overwhelming majority of the gang towards her.
In that context this was a powerful victory for the four-time main winner, who has not all the time managed to take care of her composure in equally testing situations.
“I used to be simply attempting to remain centered on myself, not solely level by level however ball by ball,” Sabalenka mentioned.
“I am glad I used to be capable of flip across the second set, I feel it was a key second.”
