Aryna Sabalenka needed a third-set match tiebreaker and a second-serve ace to finish off Linda Noskova 7-6 (1), 3-6, 7-6 (10-7) on Tuesday, reaching the US Open semifinals for the sixth consecutive year. The result keeps alive her bid for a third straight title at Flushing Meadows.
Six straight semifinal appearances at one major is a benchmark few active players can match, and it reframes what looked like a shaky start to this tournament. Sabalenka dropped a set and needed extra points twice against a player ranked well outside the top ten, yet the outcome never wavered in the moments that mattered most.
That pattern, close sets settled by a handful of points, is either a sign of fraying dominance or evidence of a champion who simply finds the split points. Her semifinal opponent will tell us which.