Key events
Both players are up to the net immediately … and Noskova is the winner before sending a backhand down the line. She leads 2-0. Sabalenka kisses the baseline with a return. 2-1 to Noskova, who then goes long. Two-all. Both find the net and it’s 3-3 at the changeover.
Third set: Sabalenka* 7-6, 3-6, 6-6 Noskova (*denotes next server)
Noskova overdoes a forehand to let Sabalenka go to 15-all. And then comes a piledriver of a forehand, the speed too much for Noskova … an ace is the perfect response. Thirty-all. And then a wide serve to set up a successful march to the net … Sabalenka goes long and we’re heading to a deciding tie-break.
Third set: Sabalenka 7-6, 3-6, 6-5* Noskova (*denotes next server)
There are big, vicious serves flying in from both sides – Sabalenka races through her hold without dropping a point. The pressure is quickly back on to Noskova.
Third set: Sabalenka* 7-6, 3-6, 5-5 Noskova (*denotes next server)
Brilliant from Noskova, serving to stay in the match under the closing roof … and doing so with a love hold.
Third set: Sabalenka 7-6, 3-6, 5-4 Noskova* (*denotes next server)
The resurgent Sabalenka bangs down an ace, holding to 15 in quick time. This is authoritative stuff from the world No 1.
Third set: Sabalenka* 7-6, 3-6, 4-4 Noskova (*denotes next server)
It’s been a while since Sabalenka won a point on Noskova’s serve … but the defending champion gets herself to 0-30 with a passing forehand, and a lengthy rally goes her way to make it 0-40! Three break points for Sabalenka, and she needs just one! Noskova overcooks a slice and this humdinger is still well and truly alive.
Third set: Sabalenka 7-6, 3-6, 3-4 Noskova* (*denotes next server)
A 15-shot rally closes with a Noskova backhand into the net, and Sabalenka lasers a forehand down to make it 30-15. Sabalenka, her composure regained, end things with an ace.
Third set: Sabalenka* 7-6, 3-6, 2-4 Noskova (*denotes next server)
Noskova is sprinting through her service – and it’s another love hold! Noskova’s won 12 of the last 15 poins.
Third set: Sabalenka 7-6, 3-6, 2-3 Noskova* (*denotes next server)
Sabalenka double-faults before sending a backhand wide, with Noskova up to the net. The latter has an opening at 0-30 … and Sabalenka double-faults again! Three break points! A hyper-active rally follows, with Sabalenka whipping a forehand winner … but Noskova wins the next! Wow.
Third set: Sabalenka* 7-6, 3-6, 2-2 Noskova (*denotes next server)
Noskova’s 14th ace – Sabalenka has eight – helps complete a love hold. Swift work.
Third set: Sabalenka 7-6, 3-6, 2-1 Noskova* (*denotes next server)
Sabalenka is moved back and forth by Noskova, but the former still manages to close the rally with a backhand winner. Another frankly ridiculous backhand winner, where she’s crouching low but still finding power and placement, completes the hold.
Third set: Sabalenka* 7-6, 3-6, 1-1 Noskova (*denotes next server)
Noskova is up to the net for a slicing volley, and Sabalenka is deeply annoyed with her wayward backhand in response. A misjudgement from Noskova when trying to forehand a moon ball hands Sabalenka a break point … but Noskova rescues herself with a forehand winner. Sabalenka races forward to get to a drop shot and deliver an audacious winner … but Noskova eventually holds.
Third set: Sabalenka 7-6, 3-6, 1-0 Noskova* (*denotes next server)
Ridiculous from Sabalenka, crouching awkwardly on the baseline as she whips a backhand winner. She holds to 15, brushing off the frustrations of the previous set.
Noskova wins the second set 6-3
Noskova has two set points – and she can’t take either, a wide forehand taking us to deuce. A backhand winner gives her a third chance … and an ace down the middle gives her the set. Sabalenka, going for a US Open three-peat, loses a set for the first time this tournament.
Second set: Sabalenka 7-6, 3-5 Noskova* (*denotes next server)
Noskova hits the net cord, forcing Sabalenka to advance … and she responds with a lush backhand drop shot. But Noskova then marches forward herself, her backhand drop making it 30-all. And here we go: 30-40 and set point for Noskova … Sabalenka roars an ace down the middle. The defending US Open champion shows her resilience to take the game.
Second set: Sabalenka* 7-6, 2-5 Noskova (*denotes next server)
Noskova adds to her ace count, sending down her 11th of the match. She holds to 15 after Sabalenka nets a backhand … the second set is in touching distance.
Second set: Sabalenka 7-6, 2-4 Noskova* (*denotes next server)
Noskova tries to pummel Sabalenka’s serve – but can only find the net. Nonetheless, there’s an opening at 15-30 for the defending Wimbledon champion after an expert backhand drop. And then Sabalenka drags a forehand wide! It’s 15-40 … Sabalenka makes it 30-40 but a double fault hands Noskova the break!
Second set: Sabalenka* 7-6, 2-3 Noskova (*denotes next server)
Sabalenka finds herself at 30-40, a chance to break … but Noskova recovers, sending a delicious backhand down the line on her way to a hold.
Second set: Sabalenka 7-6, 2-2 Noskova* (*denotes next server)
Hello, hello wonderful people. It’s an expert hold from Sabalenka, including a serve out wide to Noskova to set up a backhand winner, with wide open space to place it.
Second set: Sabalenka* 7-6, 1-2 Noskova (*denotes next server)
Sabalenka, after pulling off a fine drop shot in the first game of this set, tries another with Noskova leading 30-15, but it doesn’t come off. And Noskova matches Sabalenka’s hold to 15 when Sabalenka cracks a return into the net. After a couple of breaks in the opening set, both players – two of the best servers in the business – appear to be in their serving groove right now, and Taha is here to take you through the next instalment. Over to you Taha …
Second set: Sabalenka 7-6, 1-1 Noskova* (*denotes next server)
There have been more winners than unforced errors for both players so far, a measure of the quality of this match, and one more apiece makes it 15-all on Sabalenka’s serve. The world No 1 (perhaps for not much longer, depending on Rybakina’s result tomorrow), is helped by being in the shady half of the court on the next point, as she’s able to send down an unreturned smash for 30-15. And she closes out the game from there.
Second set: Sabalenka* 7-6, 0-1 Noskova (*denotes next server)
Noskova does, at least, lead Sabalenka in the ace stakes, and her ninth of this match (to Sabalenka’s four), helps her scramble back from 0-30 to 30-all. But Noskova nets as she tries to thread a forehand winner down the line, handing Sabalenka a break point at 30-40 in the opening game of the second set. It’s a point Noskova surely can’t afford to lose … and the Czech doesn’t, as she fires off a forehand winner! Sabalenka soon has another BP at her advantage – but is glaring at the court when she can’t take it. Of course it was the court’s fault. And Noskova, from a fourth deuce, survives with the hold! She may be a set down, but for the first time in this quarter-final, she leads in a set.
Sabalenka has now won 22 of her past 23 tie-breaks at grand slam level.
Sabalenka wins the first-set tie-break 7-1
Noskova saves the first of the six set points with an unreturned serve … but the next is on Sabaleka’s serve, and the hole is too big for Noskova to escape from, as Sabalenka smokes an unreturned serve down the T! Having been pulled back from 5-2 down earlier in the set, Sabalenka finally gets the job done, about 20 minutes later than she would have liked, to preserve her record of not losing a set this fortnight.
Sabalenka has such a fine record in tie-breaks, though, and Sabalenka surges 1-0, 2-0, 3-0 ahead as she ups the ante with some heavy hitting. And then 4-0, when Noskova nets her return. And 5-0, when Noskova can’t deal with the body serve and hits beyond the baseline. So Noskova has two must-win points on serve … but she loses the first with an errant backhand, and they change ends at 6-0 …
First set: Sabalenka* 6-6 Noskova (*denotes next server)
Credit to Noskova for the way she’s come back at Sabalenka, after admitting her last-16 win over Marta Kostyuk, when she recovered from missing double match point in the second set to eventually prevail on her sixth MP in the third, took a lot out of her emotionally. But she looks sharp and focused here, pushing Sabalenka into a tie-break when she dismissively holds to love.
First set: Sabalenka 6-5 Noskova* (*denotes next server)
It’s one-way for Sabalenka at 40-0 … until Noskova hits an improbable backhand return winner at full stretch for 40-15! That’s one for the highlights reel, perhaps the shot of the match so far. But Sabalenka holds from there, stopping the run of games against her, and Noskova must serve to stay in the set for the third time.
First set: Sabalenka* 5-5 Noskova (*denotes next server)
Noskova, perhaps a little over-excited after winning two successive games, pushes a forehand long on the opening point. But she wins the next two, lashing down a fifth ace in the process (Sabalenka has hit three), and then turns 30-15 into 40-30 with another ace. And Noskova makes it three games on the spin when Sabalenka snatches at a backhand! The Czech’s comeback is very much on.
Noskova breaks: Sabalenka 5-4 Noskova* (*denotes next server)
Sabalenka has lost from several winning positions this summer – and will that be on her mind as she serves for the opener? She wobbles at 15-all with a double fault – cue a huge roar of disgust from the defending champion, it’s a rare blot on her service book in this first set – and then Noskova nails a forehand winner right into the corner! It’s 15-40, the first break points for Noskova .. and Sabalenka smacks a forehand into the net! Perhaps the ghosts of grand slams past this year are still on Sabalenka’s mind.
First set: Sabalenka* 5-3 Noskova (*denotes next server)
A straightforward hold to 15 for Sabalenka leaves Noskova serving to stay in the first set at 5-2 down. Perhaps she can take some inspiration from Zheng’s escape acts from 5-0 behind in the first set against Iga Swiatek in the last 16 – and in the final set against Madison Keys in the third round. But at 15-all, Noskova misses a makeable volley, and Sabalenka then moves within two points of the set at 30-all. Noskova nudges to 40-30, is dragged back to deuce, but lives to fight another game in this set when she takes the next two points.
First set: Sabalenka* 4-2 Noskova (*denotes next server)
The luck is with Sabalenka on the opening point as a mis-hit return makes it 0-15. Which becomes 15-30. So with Noskova 1-4 and 15-30 down, desperate times call for desperate measures … and Noskova opts for the serve-volley, but it doesn’t come off. Sabalenka’s return is too hot for Noskova to handle on the fourth point, creating two break chances for Sabalenka at 15-40 … but her return loses its range and Noskova gamely takes the next four points, sealing the hold with an ace.
First set: Sabalenka 4-1 Noskova* (*denotes next server)
A prolonged rally at 15-all – that’s a rarity in this battle of first-strike hitting – with Sabalenka staying patient, not going for too much, eventually forcing Noskova to go for broke, and the Czech clunks into the tramlines. Undeterred, Noskova manages to get to 30-all for the second successive Sabalenka service game … but doesn’t advance any further. Sabalenka retains her advantage.
First set: Sabalenka* 3-1 Noskova (*denotes next server)
At 30-all, Sabalenka is applying more pressure on Noskova’s serve, but Sabalenka smacks a backhand return into the net and Noskova can breathe a little at 40-30. And the Wimbledon champion gets her side of the scoreboard moving when Sabalenka again errs with her return. The Arthur Ashe crowd – perhaps only about a half full so far – cheer loudly. They’re not against Sabelenka – as they were in the previous round when she played the American Taylor Townsend – but of course they want a close match.
First set: Sabalenka 3-0 Noskova* (*denotes next server)
Sabalenka concedes her first point for 0-15, after a Noskova backhand winner (that’ll help shake off any nerves for the Czech), and it’s soon 15-30. Sabalenka takes a little more time before the next point, blowing on her hand before serving, and it does the job as she batters away a backhand winner, also from the middle of the court. Who needs angles when you’ve got that much pace. And an ace, already her third of the match, brings up 40-30. And after an aborted ball toss, she consolidates the break with an unreturned serve. Sabalenka looks every inch the two-time defending champion right now, rather than the possibly soon-to-be-deposed world No 1 who has had such a shaky summer.
Sabalenka breaks: Sabalenka* 2-0 Noskova (*denotes next server)
Both of these players are big hitters – but they aren’t afraid to come to the net either – and both will be vying to become the frontrunner in the points. Sabalenka does that successfully in a short, sharp opening service game, holding to love, before Noskova drops 0-40 down. It’s quite hard to follow the ball because of the confusing contrast – with Noskova’s half of the court baked in sun, Sabalenka’s entirely in the shade. But it’s Sabalenka who puts Noskova firmly in the shade with an inside-out forehand winner from virtually no angle in the middle of the court on the second break point. It’s been a flawless start from the defending champion.
These two have played each other twice before, with both matches taking place on hard courts, three years ago in Adelaide and this year in the Indian Wells semi-final. Sabalenka won both in straight sets. But Noskova is a grand slam champion now, on an 11-match winning run at majors.
Despite Sabalenka’s struggles this summer, you can’t discount her numbers either: this is her sixth successive US Open quarter-final (she’s emulated Serena with that), she’s the two-time defending champion, and she’son an 18-match winning streak in New York. So something will have to give today.
Walking out into the sunshine on Arthur Ashe is Noskova, closely followed by Sabalenka, who once again is wearing her basketball-inspired orange mesh dress, which is accessorised by several hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of bling. Noskova has opted for a more understated white number, with a blue and red trim.
With Rybakina v Zheng and Gauff v Andreeva to come in the quarter-finals tomorrow, the current holders of the four grand slam titles are all still in contention (Sabalenka, Rybakina, Andreeva and Noskova) – and just to add to the tournament’s finale, the four women who can leave Flushing Meadows with the world No 1 ranking are still in the mix too (Sabalenka, Rybakina, Gauff and Pegula – though if Rybakina defeats Zheng she’ll be guaranteed to become No 1 for the first time in her career). The strength at the top of the women’s game right now is seriously impressive.
Yesterday’s last-16 matches in the women’s draw were stacked with top match-ups, with Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff making statements of intent with clinical wins over Naomi Osaka and Iva Jovic respectively; Zheng Qinwen coming from 5-0 down for the second match in a row (has that ever happened before?!) to knock out Iga Swiatek in two absorbing sets; and Mirra Andreeva mounting her own comeback to defeat Anastasia Potapova in three.
On the men’s side, Alexander Zverev had a welcome pre-midnight finish for once, Alexander Blockx’s brilliant run continued despite injury and the rejuvenated Russian Karen Khachanov ended American hopes of having four home men in the quarter-finals after defeating Learner Tien from two sets to one down.
Simon Cambers has posted on social media that tickets for tonight’s Alcaraz v Shelton showdown are being sold on resale for a minimum of $500 up in the nosebleed seats to more than $11,0000 courtside. Yikes. Maybe we can blame the influencers for that too.
Today’s order of play – Arthur Ashe
11.30am New York/4.30pm BST
Women’s singles quarter-final
Aryna Sabalenka (1) v Linda Noskova (Cze, 6)
Men’s singles quarter-final
Frances Tiafoe (US, 11) v Alex Michelsen (US)
7pm New York/midnight BST
Women’s singles quarter-final
Jessica Pegula (US, 3) v Emma Navarro (US, 26)
Men’s singles quarter-final
Ben Shelton (US, 8) v Carlos Alcaraz (Sp, 2)
Preamble
Hello and welcome to our coverage of the US Open – day 10!
So here we are, at the quarter-final stage. Gone is the compelling chaos of matches taking place here, there and everywhere in the earlier rounds, and finally we can make do with only one pair of eyes, our gaze both shrinking and intensifying now we’re down to the one singles court.
Being the focus of that gaze is still something new to Linda Noskova, who’d reached only one grand slam quarter-final before her run to this summer’s Wimbledon title, but the 21-year-old Czech seems unfazed by the big stage and is unlikely to be intimidated by the task of facing Aryna Sabalenka today, especially with the defending champion’s aura not what it was. Yes, Sabalenka has reached the last eight with four straight-sets wins, but her prickly exchanges with reporters in the early rounds perhaps betrayed the pressure she is feeling, having not claimed a grand slam this year or a title since March amid several head-scratching defeats to much lower-ranked players. Sabalenka also knows her near two-year stretch as the world No 1 will end if Elena Rybakina wins one more match in New York. If Noskova can reproduce her Wimbledon form today, we’ll get to find out where Sabalenka’s level and head is really at.
They’re first on Arthur Ashe in the day session, before the American derby between Frances Tiafoe – two times a semi-finalist at his most successful major but never a finalist – and the surprise package Alex Michelsen, who’s reached his first slam quarter-final without even dropping a set. Tiafoe, at 28, has far more experience than the 22-year-old Californian but is also carrying heavier baggage; he knows the years of opportunity are passing by, while Michelsen has almost nothing to lose – that’s if you can call a grand slam quarter-final a free shot. Crowd loyalty will be divided but Tiafoe will hope his superior athleticism and momentum from his clutch win over Daniil Medvedev in the last 16 will see him through against a 6ft 5in, big-serving opponent who once compared himself to Obi-Wan Kenobi because of his ability to balance defence and attack.
Away from Arthur Ashe, the doubles continues – the top seeds and Wimbledon champions, Britain’s Henry Patten and Finland’s Harri Heliovaara, are among those in action – while the wheelchair events begin, with the five-time US Open doubles champions Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid among the headliners. And all of this before a blockbuster night session, as Carlos Alcaraz faces off against Ben Shelton and Jessica Pegula plays Emma Navarro, in the second all-American affair of the day.
Play on Arthur Ashe begins at: 11.30am New York time/4.30pm BST. So grab yourself a Honey Deuce and get settled in.
