New York (AFP) – Two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka rallied from a break down in the final set to edge Elena Noskova 7-6 (7/1), 3-6, 7-6 (10/7) and reach the US Open semi-finals on Tuesday. Sabalenka hadn’t dropped a set in reaching the quarter-finals, but she needed all her resolve to withstand the sixth-seeded Wimbledon winner, who fired 46 winners, including 18 aces, in a heavyweight clash on Arthur Armstrong Stadium.
“What a battle,” Sabalenka told the crowd. “I was pushing myself to the limit, especially in the third set. I honestly thought that was it, the match was over, and that’s what helped me to feel loose and go for my shots,” added Sabalenka, who trailed 4-2 in the third set. Sabalenka’s precision and power were on full display, but as the resilient Noskova fought off multiple break points, her frustration mounted and the Czech’s confidence grew.
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Noskova had all the momentum after breaking Sabalenka for a 3-2 lead in the third — aided by two double faults from Sabalenka. But Sabalenka dug in and eventually broke back as they hurtled to the tiebreaker — where Sabalenka dropped the first two points before climbing back, finishing it out with a fearless second-serve ace.
“I just felt at some point in the third set she was definitely serving better than me and putting so much pressure on me, but I’m glad that I kind of, like, threw that thought away and I was able to focus point by point,” Sabalenka said. “I’m happy with the way I broke her serve at 3-4. I think I really played a great intensity level of tennis, and that really gave me so much confidence that I still can get the win in this match.”
Sabalenka must retain her title to have a chance to keep the number one ranking, and could still slip from the summit if Elena Rybkina wins her quarter-final match against Zheng Qinwen. But after coming up empty in the first three Grand Slams of the year, Sabalenka said she would be “more than happy” to leave New York with the title and without the ranking.
Sabalenka opened the match with a formidable service hold capped by an ace. She broke a tentative Noskova in the second game on the way to a 3-0 lead, but the Czech was settling in, matching Sabalenka’s power to extend the rallies and regaining the break in the ninth game with a ferocious service return. Sabalenka reasserted herself in the tiebreaker, but she was unable to build on that momentum as she squandered three break chances in the opening game of the second set.
She let another chance get away in the fifth game before Noskova broke for a 4-2 lead, with Sabalenka double-faulting on break point. Two games later, Sabalenka was in trouble again. She fought off a set point with an ace before producing two more big serves to cut the gap to 5-3, but Noskova clinched the set in the next game with an ace on her fourth set point.
In a match where the difference was “just a matter of a couple of points,” Noskova said she could have done “a lot of things differently.” “Being a break up in the third set… also having a little break at the start of the tiebreak in the third — it’s frustrating,” she said. “I definitely could have made different decisions at those crucial moments.”
Sabalenka will face the winner of the all-American quarter-final between third seed Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro in the last four.
© 2024 AFP
