Aryna Sabalenka is, for now, withstanding the pressure from Elena Rybakina, the virtual new WTA No. 1. The Belarusian needs to defend her US Open champion’s crown and for the Kazakh not to reach the semifinals in order to retain the top spot in the women’s circuit.
Sabalenka qualified this Friday for the round of 16 of the fourth Grand Slam of the calendar after defeating Uzbekistan’s Kamila Rakhimova, 6-3 and 6-4. The Minsk player has now won 16 consecutive matches on the Flushing Meadows courts.
Serena Williams was the last to string together three consecutive titles in New York, between 2012 and 2014.
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