Defending champs Alcaraz and Sabalenka reach US Open quarter-finals — SkimNews
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- Carlos Alcaraz dismantled 20th seed Tommy Paul 6-4 6-3 6-4 in two hours and 21 minutes, extending his head-to-head streak against the American to six straight wins and 14 consecutive sets.
- Alcaraz is bidding to become the only man in the Open Era to successfully defend major titles on all three surfaces, having already won back-to-back Wimbledons (2023-24) and French Opens (2024-25), with the US Open hard court title needed to complete the set.
- Alcaraz said 'I think I'm back to full power' despite the wrist injury that sidelined him for more than four months, with Tim Henman calling his forehand 'the best' he has seen and Martina Navratilova saying he is 'in another stratosphere.'
- Aryna Sabalenka held off Taylor Townsend 6-4 6-3 in a match that featured 11 breaks of serve across 19 games, recovering from a break down in the second set to set up a quarter-final against Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova.
- Sabalenka, who has spent 99 weeks at world No 1, needs a third straight Flushing Meadows title and for No 2 Elena Rybakina to lose before the semi-finals to reach a century of weeks atop the rankings.
- Linda Noskova booked her quarter-final with Sabalenka by edging Marta Kostyuk 7-5 5-7 6-4 in a match where Kostyuk saved five match points before falling, a repeat of their Wimbledon semi-final.
- Noskova's next opponent is Sabalenka, who has yet to drop a set this tournament and whom Annabel Croft described as 'a great showwoman' whose 'ferocious intensity' makes her 'going to take some beating.'
Why it matters: Both champions are one win from a career-defining milestone: Alcaraz would join an ultra-exclusive club as the only man to defend majors on all three surfaces, while Sabalenka is simultaneously chasing a three-peat at Flushing Meadows and a 100-week reign at world No 1, stakes the bundled Sky Sports coverage makes clearer than outlets running the stories separately.
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