US Open 2026: Aryna Sabalenka outlasts Linda Nosková in grueling quarterfinals match

Aryna Sabalenka entered the 2026 US Open with one goal: To become the third woman to win the event in three straight years. That goal nearly died Tuesday, as Sabalenka was pushed to the limit by Linda Nosková.

In the end, Sabalenka just barely prevailed, advancing to the semifinals after taking down Nosková in three sets (7-6, 3-6, 7-6). It took two tiebreak wins from the women's No. 1, who was in danger of being eliminated by Nosková a handful of times during the nearly two-and-a-half-hour match.

Sabalenka got off to an excellent start, taking the first seven points off Nosková to take an early lead. She finally allowed Nosková to pick up her first point in the second game, but Sabalenka took the game on the next point, going up 2-0.

It took until the fourth game of the first set for Nosková to pick up a win. Sabalenka kept it close, but dropped to 3-1 in the set. Nosková seemed to gain steam from there, eventually clawing her way all the way back to tie the first set at 5-5. After such a strong start, Sabalenka was suddenly looking at a surprising loss in the first set.

But Sabalenka rallied, eventually forcing a tiebreak. She then jumped out to an impressive lead in that tiebreak, winning the first six points before Nosková finally earned a point. Sabalenka didn't allow a comeback, winning the next point to take the first set 7-6. It was hard fought, but Sabalenka was a set away from making it to the semifinals.

Nosková seemingly fully recovered after her early-match struggles, and managed to go ahead 2-1 in the second set. Sabalenka battled back to even the set, and it looked as though both players would once again engage in a lengthy back-and-forth.

But that wasn't the case. Nosková fully found her stride, taking the next three games to make it 5-2. Sabalenka managed to take the next game, but couldn't hold off Nosková, who won the set 6-3.

It was the first set Sabalenka dropped at the 2026 US Open. It also marked the first time in their head-to-head careers that Nosková took a set off Sabalenka.

After registering eight aces in the first set — which she lost — Nosková seemed to play a better all-around game in the second set. She registered four aces and limited her unforced errors to take the set. Though she missed out on some aces, Nosková posted an 83% win rate with her first serve, so it was clearly still very effective even if Sabalenka was able to return it slightly more often.

Nosková kept that momentum going in the final set. With the pair tied 2-2, Nosková won the next two games to take a lead in the final set. Her serve looked strong yet again, picking up three aces to that point.

Sabalenka quickly managed to bounce back, evening the set at 4-4. She then took the next game, putting her a game away from a victory. But Nosková tied things up yet again. The two traded the next two games, setting up yet another tiebreak.

Like the rest of the match, the tiebreak resulted in back-and-forth play from both competitors. With the tiebreak at 3-3, Sabalenka took the next three points. That wasn't enough, as the pair battled back to nearly even things up again. With the pressure on, Sabalenka went up 9-7. She took the match point on her next serve, finally defeating Nosková 10-7 in the tiebreak and winning the match.

Despite their high WTA rankings, Sabalenka and Nosková had not faced each other much in singles play. Coming into Tuesday's match, Sabalenka held a 2-0 lead over Nosková in head-to-head matchups, the most recent of which came at the BNP Paribas Open in March. Sabalenka won that match in straight sets.

Things were much harder Tuesday, as Sabalenka's time in the tournament flashed before her eyes multiple times thanks to Nosková. Thanks to some relentless play and late-match execution, Sabalenka still has a chance to match Chris Evert and Serena Williams as the only women to win three straight US Opens.

After a hard-fought win over Nosková, Sabalenka will get a day of rest Wednesday before the semifinal Thursday. If she can win that match, she'll be just one more victory away from equaling two of tennis' most decorated stars.