Two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka overpowered American Taylor Townsend 6-4 6-3 to reach her sixth straight US Open quarter-final at Flushing Meadows. The match featured 10 breaks of serve, but Sabalenka recovered from 3-1 down in the second set to win five consecutive games. The victory extends the Belarusian's unbeaten streak to 18 consecutive matches at the tournament following titles in 2024 and 2025.

Sabalenka, 28, is the first woman to reach six consecutive singles quarter-finals here since Serena Williams in 2016. Williams was also the last player to win three straight US Open titles, a feat Sabalenka is now three wins from matching. She will face Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova for a semi-final spot after the Czech sixth seed needed six match points to defeat Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk 7-5 5-7 6-4 in two and a half hours.

Despite a partisan crowd favoring Townsend, Sabalenka remained composed, losing just five points across the final five games. "I was just trying to stay focused on myself, not only point by point but ball by ball," Sabalenka said. Noskova admitted relief after her emotional rollercoaster: "This match was so tough, emotionally a bit more than physically."