Aryna Sabalenka survived a dramatic battle against Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova on Tuesday, winning 7-6 (7-1), 3-6, 7-6 (10-7) to reach the US Open semifinals and keep her bid for a third consecutive title alive.
The world No. 1 was pushed to the limit by the sixth-seeded Czech before securing victory in a deciding-set match tiebreak.
Sabalenka will next face third-seeded Jessica Pegula, who came from a set down to defeat No. 26 Emma Navarro 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Sabalenka defeated Pegula in the 2024 US Open final and also beat her in last year's semifinals after losing the opening set.
The Belarusian sealed Tuesday's quarterfinal with an ace on her second serve, reaching the US Open semifinals for a sixth consecutive year.
Noskova came close to completing an impressive run after winning her maiden Grand Slam title at Wimbledon. She would have become the first woman since Serena Williams in 2016 to follow a grass-court major title by reaching the US Open semifinals.
Sabalenka appeared close to an early exit when Noskova broke in the third set to move 4-2 ahead. But the top seed immediately responded, breaking back at love to level the set at 4-4.
The match went to a deciding tiebreak, where Noskova initially moved ahead 2-0. Sabalenka recovered after a double fault by Noskova gave her a 4-3 lead and then won the next two points to establish control.
Noskova finished with 46 winners and 18 aces, compared with Sabalenka's 42 winners and 12 aces.
Sabalenka had entered the tournament struggling for form on hard courts, losing in the fourth round in both Toronto and Cincinnati. She had also been eliminated at the same stage at Wimbledon.
However, she had not dropped a set before Tuesday's quarterfinal.
The result also kept alive Sabalenka's hopes of retaining the world No. 1 ranking, which she has held for 99 consecutive weeks.
She will lose the top spot if second-ranked Elena Rybakina defeats Zheng Qinwen on Wednesday to reach the semifinals. If Rybakina loses, Sabalenka can retain the ranking by winning the US Open title.
Tiafoe reaches men's semifinals
In the men's quarterfinals, No. 11 seed Frances Tiafoe rallied from two sets down to defeat Alex Michelsen 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (10-6).
Tiafoe will meet either defending champion Carlos Alcaraz or eighth-seeded Ben Shelton in the semifinals.
Their quarterfinal began shortly after 11 p.m. following a long day of matches.
Pegula rallies past Navarro
Pegula overcame a slow start against Navarro, who broke her twice in the opening set to take control.
But the third-seeded American recovered in the final stages, winning four consecutive games after Navarro had taken a 2-1 lead in the deciding set.
Pegula's victory set up another US Open meeting with Sabalenka, who will be seeking to maintain her dominance in New York.
For Noskova, the defeat ended her best-ever US Open campaign. Before this year, her best Grand Slam performance was a quarterfinal appearance at the 2024 Australian Open.