Arina Sabalenka performed brilliantly in the US Open and made it to the semi-finals. In a thrilling match played on Tuesday, she defeated Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova 7-6 (1), 3-6, 7-6 (10-7).
The match was full of ups and downs and a tough competition was seen between the two players. Sabalenka won the match by winning the tiebreaker of the deciding set and kept alive her hopes of a third consecutive US Open title.
“It took time for everything to end.”
After the win, Sabalenka praised Noskova’s performance. “What a great match. What a great player he is. At one point I thought it was all over. It helped me relax a bit and focus,” he said.
This victory was also very important for Sabalenka because along with advancing in the US Open, her number-1 ranking in women’s singles was also at stake. With the victory, he took an important step towards saving his ranking.
Now Sabalenka will compete with Pegula
Sabalenka will now face the challenge of third seed Jessica Pegula in the semi-finals. Pegula defeated 26th seed Emma Navarro 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the quarterfinals to reach the last four.
There has been a tough competition between Sabalenka and Pegula in the US Open before. Sabalenka had defeated Pegula in the 2024 final and last year’s semi-final. In such a situation, this time Pegula will have a chance to settle the score of the previous defeat.
Tiafoe’s thrilling victory in men’s quarterfinals
An exciting match was also witnessed in the men’s category of the US Open on Tuesday. 11th seed Frances Tiafoe defeated Alex Michelsen in a five-set match.
Tiafoe won the match 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (10-6). The match was also decided in the tiebreaker of the deciding set, where Tiafoe remained patient and won.
Sabalenka’s one more step towards the title
Sabalenka is now trying to win her third consecutive title at the US Open. However, Pegula will be a big challenge for them in the semi-finals. Considering the previous matches of both the players, this match is expected to be very exciting. While Sabalenka will be eyeing to reach the final, Pegula will want to pull off a big upset in front of the home crowd.