Sabalenka stays alive at US Open by telling herself 'the match is over'

Aryna Sabalenka thought her US Open quarterfinal was over. Down 4-2 in the deciding set against Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova, the world number one tried to release the pressure and swing freely.

It worked. Sabalenka recovered the break, then dominated the deciding tiebreak to beat the Czech sixth seed 7-6(7/1), 3-6, 7-6(10/7). The victory sent the two-time defending champion into the semifinals for a sixth consecutive year.

“What a battle. What an incredible player she is. I'm speechless right now because I was pushing myself to the limit this match,” Sabalenka said. “In the third set I honestly thought, ‘That's it, the match is over.’ Probably that's what helped me to kind of feel loose and just go after my shots. Super happy to get this win.”

“

What a battle. What an incredible player she is. I'm speechless right now because I was pushing myself to the limit this match.

Noskova hit 18 aces and saved seven of nine break points, but lost her advantage after taking a 4-2 lead. Sabalenka had broken first in the opening set, only for Noskova to respond with powerful baseline strokes and level the match in the second.

The Belarusian, who has won 21 of her past 22 matches at the year-end grand slam, will now meet either third seed Jessica Pegula or 26th seed Emma Navarro. By reaching the final four again, she matched Serena Williams’ run of six consecutive US Open semifinals from 2011 to 2016.

“

In the third set I honestly thought, 'That's it, the match is over.' Probably that's what helped me to kind of feel loose and just go after my shots. Super happy to get this win.