Sabalenka Beats Townsend to Reach US Open QF

Aryna Sabalenka needed a little time to find her serve, then she slammed the door. The defending champion and world No. 1 beat Taylor Townsend 6-4, 6-3 on Sunday at Arthur Ashe Stadium and reached another US Open quarterfinal, per the Associated Press.

Townsend broke her three times in the opening four service games and looked ready to spring an upset. Sabalenka settled, stopped leaking free points, and did not lose another point after falling behind 3-1 in the second set. That is the version of Sabalenka Flushing knows in Week 2. The early wobble was real. The finish was not a debate.

First meeting, late surge

"I love matches like that because it was really challenging," Sabalenka said, per AP. "Going through tough challenges and overcoming those challenges, it definitely gives you strength and really strong belief that you can do it."

It was the first meeting between the two. Townsend said she felt as comfortable as she ever has against a No. 1. "From the beginning, I felt like I belonged," she said. "From the beginning, I felt like I was right where I needed to be. I still feel that way." Belonging was not enough once Sabalenka's first serve started sticking and the baseline exchanges tilted her way. Townsend kept swinging. Sabalenka kept raising the height of the ball she wanted to hit.

Ten Americans reached the Round of 16 across both draws, the most at any Slam since the 2002 US Open. Townsend was one of them. She talked about the depth of the U.S. group after, naming players who have lived inside the top five and the men who keep stacking deep runs. Sunday she ran into the defending champ at full power on the biggest court in the building.

Noskova next

Wimbledon winner Linda Noskova waits in the quarters after needing six match points to finish Marta Kostyuk 7-5, 5-7, 6-4. Sabalenka already knows that tempo. "I played a couple of matches against her in the past, which also wasn't the easiest matches," she said. "Really aggressive style of the game. Serving really well, playing super fast. You've got to stay really low to be able to handle that power and energy."

That is a quarterfinal built for short points and loud returns. Noskova just survived a match that refused to end. Sabalenka just survived an early break storm and closed it clean. Flushing already saw the defending champion solve trouble. The next one brings a Wimbledon champion who refuses to miss when the ball is on her strings. Sunday was the setup. The quarterfinal is the test.