Aryna Sabalenka, No. 1 seed, rides late charge into US Open quarters
Aryna Sabalenka's quest for a third consecutive U.S. Open title remained on track.
Belarusian tennis star Aryna Sabalenka, the current No. 1 seed, advanced to the quarterfinals of the US Open with a resilient 6-4, 6-3 win over unseeded American Taylor Townsend on Sunday. The match, lasting one hour and fifteen minutes, was far from easy for Sabalenka, who fell behind 3-1 in the second set after breaking her serve.
However, she responded with a dominant performance, breaking Townsend's serve three times in a row to secure the win. Sabalenka will now face the winner of Sunday's clash between Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk, the 11th seed, and Czech Republic's Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova, ranked 6th.
Despite Townsend's six aces compared to Sabalenka's two, the Russian won 54% of her service points, outpacing her opponent 43% to 43%. In the first set, Sabalenka faced early challenges, breaking Townsend's serve four times before claiming the set on her own service. After the victory, Sabalenka praised her opponent's skills, calling her "an incredible player" and noting her "great returner, moving well, very brave."
She also expressed gratitude for the respectful crowd, stating, "I'm happy to be through this really tough opponent."
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