The current queen of New York keeps her streak going. Aryna Sabalenka avoided a scare in the second set against American Taylor Townsend, winning 6-4 and 6-3 to record 17 consecutive victories on the courts of Flushing Meadows.
The Belarusian is playing for the throne of world tennis over these two weeks at the US Open. As many as three players are in contention for it, Elena Rybakina, who needs to reach the semifinals (regardless of what the others do) to become world number one for the first time, Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff. Meanwhile, Sabalenka keeps racking up wins without dropping any sets yet on her way to defending the title.
The match was not far from going to a deciding set. After a first set that featured as many as seven breaks by the two players, Townsend even took a 3-1 lead in the second. But she was broken to love in the next game and the Belarusian did not jump off the train that has carried her to become the first player in the draw to reach the quarterfinals.
A lock among the top eight
The champion of the last two editions of the US Open has reached at least the quarterfinals in 15 of the last 16 Grand Slams played.
A possible match against Kostyuk
She is now waiting for the opponent who will emerge from the match between Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk and Czech Linda Noskova. Sabalenka is unbeaten against both, holding a 5-0 record against the Ukrainian, where controversy and drama tend to appear on the court, and she has also won both matchesshe has played against the reigning Wimbledon champion.
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