The defending US Open champion Aryna Sabalenka won the quarterfinal match against Taylor Townsend 6-4, 6-3 but the horrors of her No.1 spot being taken away did not leave her even after the glorious win.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
“I completely separate myself from that because it’s just guessing. It’s like, if, if, if, if,” Sabalenka said during the press conference when asked about the ongoing battle for spot.
This is no exaggeration at all, because Elena Rybakina will get to the top spot simply by advancing to the semis, while Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula will have to win the tournament and make sure that Rybakina is knocked out before getting there.
Sabalenka elaborated on her way of thinking by talking about how fast things can change in the outside world depending on what happens in other parts of the draw.
“There’s always scenarios for something. There’s always a different statistic that social media brings. So I’m just trying to stay away from it,” Sabalenka added.
Indeed, Sabalenka has won 23 of her past 24 matches at the US Open with her only defeat coming in the 2023 US Open final.
The way she defeated Townsend increased her dominance even more despite an uneven beginning. The latter was able to break the top seed’s service three times in the first four service games, but then she composed herself and won the match in straight sets.
This win made Sabalenka part of something unique in tennis history. She became the first woman after Serena Williams, from 2011 to 2016, who could make it to six consecutive quarter-finals of the US Open tournament.
That six-year streak of making the quarterfinals has set up an interesting match with the tour’s newest Grand Slam champion, and Sabalenka did not waste any time discussing why that is such a tough test.
Sabalenka Previews Blockbuster Clash With Wimbledon Champion
“Linda, another great player, just won Wimbledon, really aggressive style of the game, serving really well, playing super fast,” said Sabalenka as she talked about her match against Linda Noskova.
“You’ve got to stay really low to be able to handle that power and energy. Also, I played a couple of matches against her in the past, which also wasn’t the easiest,” said Sabalenka, referring to their last match at Indian Wells.
Sabalenka has a clean 2-0 lead in their head-to-head meetings, which includes a straight-sets win earlier this year. Noskova is coming into the match as the defending champion after beating Karolína Muchová in three sets in July.
“So it doesn’t matter who I face, it’s going to be a great battle, great fight, and I’m really excited,” Sabalenka said, closing her comments on a note that framed the matchup as genuine competition rather than a formality.
Sabalenka heads into the match riding an 18-match winning streak at the US Open. Meanwhile, Noskova brings with her some authentic momentum, as she is the youngest Wimbledon Women’s champion since Petra Kvitova in 2011 at the age of 21 years and 236 days.