'I'm Going to Keep Fighting': Coco Gauff Rallies To Reach U.S. Open Semis

The 2026 U.S. Open tennis tournament is underway, with semifinals action beginning Thursday in New York City.On the men’s side, American Ben Shelton looks to build off his big win over defending U.S. Open champ Carlos Alcaraz in what was the latest-finishing match in the tournament’s history early Wednesday morning.Shelton is set to face fellow American Frances Tiafoe on Friday, as both hope to become the first Black American in over half a century to reach the U.S. Open final (since Arthur Ashe in 1972).No Black American has made a major final since MaliVai Washington did it at the 1996 Wimbledon Championships.Top-seeded Alexander Zverev, meanwhile, looks to build off the momentum of three straight three-set wins in his semifinal match with Karen Khachanov on Friday.On the women’s side, American Jessica Pegula and top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka will face off on Thursday, teeing up a rematch of the 2024 final.Sabalenka hopes to take advantage of her strong head-to-head record against Pegula after beating her in the 2024 final as well as last year’s semis.Sabalenka is just a few steps closer to history as she looks to become the first woman since Serena Williams to win three straight U.S. Open titles.Former U.S. Open champ Coco Gauff, too, has her eyes on the prize again with hopes of defeating new World No. 1 Elena Rybakina on Thursday.Pegula, Sabalenka, Gauff and Rybakina advancing marks the first time since 2009 (Wimbledon) that the top four seeds in the women’s bracket have moved onto the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament.It hasn’t happened at the U.S. Open in over 50 years.The U.S. Open is known to attract big names, including President Donald Trump, who has made a habit of positioning himself next to major sports events as he faces abysmal poll numbers amid his unpopular Iran war.It’s unclear whether Trump, whose appearance at last year’s men’s final prompted boos in Arthur Ashe Stadium, will return to his home borough of Queens when this year’s final goes down on Sunday.Check out our coverage below:'I'm Going to Keep Fighting': Coco Gauff Rallies To Reach U.S. Open SemisNEW YORK (AP) — Coco Gauff knows what she is up against in her U.S. Open semifinal against Elena Rybakina, whose firepower has vaulted her to the top of the tennis rankings.“I know I’m going to have some aces hit on me and some winners hit on me, but I’m going to keep fighting and give it my all,” Gauff said. “That’s all I can do.”That’s how Gauff earned her first title in Flushing Meadows and why she’s still in the running for another.Gauff fought off a couple match points in a tiebreaker and beat Mirra Andreeva 2-6, 7-6 (7), 6-2 on Wednesday to set up matchup against the new No. 1 in women’s tennis.Gauff overcame a horrible start to give herself a chance at a second U.S. Open trophy. She won the tournament in 2023, when she had to shake off a similar rough beginning against Aryna Sabalenka in the final.Andreeva, the French Open champion, won the first seven points and took the first set in 26 minutes before the No. 4-seeded Gauff regrouped. She said during the break after the first set she thought about fellow American Frances Tiafoe, who came from two sets down in his quarterfinal match a day earlier.“So, honestly I was just trying to literally leave the court with no regrets,” Gauff said.Rybakina edged Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 earlier Wednesday, guaranteeing she will become No. 1 in the WTA rankings after the tournament.The top-ranked Sabalenka faces No. 3 Jessica Pegula in the other semifinal Thursday. But no matter what happens in the remaining matches, Rybakina will end Sabalenka’s 99-week stay at No. 1 when the new rankings are released Monday.“It’s just a number right now and of course I’m in the semis so my goal is to win the tournament,” Rybakina said. “It’s an amazing achievement but you know how quick everything can change in tennis, ranking-wise, during the match, so I feel like I just need to focus on my game, try to recover and enjoy tomorrow.”It’s the first time since 1975 that all four of the women’s top seeds reached the U.S. Open semifinals.Gauff won a 39-shot rally to take a 5-3 lead in the tiebreaker, but Andreeva took the next three points to earn her first match point. Gauff erased that when the Russian sent a forehand long, then stopped Andreeva’s second chance at 7-6.Then it was mostly all Gauff in the third set en route to her seventh Grand Slam semifinal.Rybakina struggles with an early start after the US Open’s latest finishRybakina and Zheng were scheduled to start about eight hours after Ben Shelton finished off his victory over defending champion Carlos Alcaraz at 3:33 a.m., the latest finish in U.S. Open history.Rybakina said she struggled with the sun and shadows in Arthur Ashe Stadium early on after starting later in the day in her previous matches.Zheng capitalized on Rybakina’s early struggles to get her only break of the match against one of the best servers in women’s tennis and take a 5-3 lead in the first set.But Zheng, who had been playing from behind so much in Flushing Meadows, couldn’t hold onto the lead and Rybakina rolled through the second set in 38 minutes.Zheng, the 2024 Olympic gold medalist from China, had to come through the qualifying tournament just to make the main draw after elbow surgery dropped her down the rankings to her current place of No. 121. Once ranked No. 4, she is guaranteed to move back into the top 60.She made a dramatic run to the quarterfinals, erasing a 5-0 deficit in the third set against Madison Keys in the third round and then climbing out of another 5-0 hole in the first set in her fourth-round victory over No. 8-seed Iga Swiatek.But a double-fault gave her opponent a 5-4 lead in the third set and Rybakina served it out to reach the U.S. Open semifinals for the first time.“I think the wins that I had so far are great, but obviously today in the match I got a lot of chances in the third set, but I didn’t take it,” Zheng said. “That was a bit pity for me to lose this match, but obviously I could take positive things from U.S. Open this year.”Rybakina came into the tournament needing only to reach the semifinals to ensure she would move past Sabalenka. Had the 27-year-old from Kazakhstan lost before the final four, Sabalenka, Pegula or Gauff could have been No. 1 next week by winning the tournament.Setting up the men’s semifinalsKaren Khachanov reached his third Grand Slam semifinal when No. 28 seed Alexander Blockx stopped playing midway through the third set after Khachanov had won the first two. Blockx had his upper left leg wrapped and received treatment on both his lower leg and back as well.Khachanov, who reached the semis at the U.S. Open in 2022 and the 2023 Australian Open, will play top-seeded Alexander Zverev in one semifinal match Friday. Shelton and Tiafoe will square off in an all-American semifinal match.___See AP’s full tennis coverage hereLatest Live UpdatesTop-Seeded Zverev Sails Into U.S. Open SemisNEW YORK (AP) — Alexander Zverev’s rocky road to start the U.S. Open turned into smooth sailing to the semifinals.The No. 1 seed beat Botic van de Zandschulp 6-2, 7-5, 6-1 on Wednesday night, putting him into the final four of every Grand Slam tournament this season.The French Open champion and Wimbledon runner-up will play Friday against Karen Khachanov, while Americans Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe meet in the other semifinal.Zverev became the first men’s No. 1 seed to play five-set matches in each of the first two rounds of a major in the Open era, which began in 1968. But he won his last three matches in straight sets and is the only man to reach all four major semis this year.After playing more than 4 1/2 hours in each of the first two rounds, Zverev hasn’t been on the court more than 2 1/2 in his last three matches.“In other tournaments I would have been out in the first round but here I can fight back and play best-of-five, play 4 1/2 hours and somehow win the match and somehow get into the tournament,” Zverev said. “And then I start playing better throughout the tournament and definitely happy to be in the semifinals here, but of course I want to go further.”He went to the final in 2020 but blew a two-set lead against Dominic Thiem. That was the closest he would come to a major title until his victory this year at Roland Garros and the German now is 23-2 in Grand Slam matches this season.“He’s been in top-five for so many years,” Khachanov said. “This year he did also step forward. He won his first Grand Slam, played the final in Wimbledon, as well. I mean, he’s coming up really in hot form, let’s say.”Khachanov got at least to the third round of every major this year and this time has gone three rounds further. He was prepared to go through a tough test Wednesday but Alexander Blockx’s body wasn’t up for one.Blockx stopped playing in the third set because of injuries to his leg, ribs and back, sending Khachanov to his third Grand Slam semifinal.“I think my body just gave up,” Blockx said.Khachanov won the first two sets 6-2 and 7-5, and the No. 28 seed from Belgium decided it was time to stop after Khachanov broke his serve to take a 3-2 lead in the third.“I was preparing really, really well for that matchup. It’s not easy really to play because from one side I was feeling I was dominating from the beginning, then I started to feel like he was struggling more and more,” Khachanov said, adding he saw that Blockx was “suffering all over his body.”Khachanov is seeking his first major final. The Russian got to the semifinals of the U.S. Open in 2022 and the Australian Open in 2023.Khachanov was unseeded in a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since 2018 after a strange season. He reached at least the third round of all four majors for the first time but is just 10-15 in other events, with losses in the opening rounds of all three hard-court events before coming to New York.Blockx said he nearly stopped in his last match because of his injuries. As he got treatment for multiple body parts Wednesday, he said ne was neither upset nor angry.“To be honest, during the match, it was quite funny to me. I just had to laugh it off, because it was just something new the whole time,” he said. “I think it was just my body that started compensating as well. I was starting to do different motions than I usually do just to avoid the pain.”___See AP’s full tennis coverage here'What About Me?' Ben Shelton Forgets Athlete Girlfriend After U.S. Open Win Over AlcarazBen Shelton shouted out to his sister and best friend in the stands after his win over Carlos Alcaraz at the U.S. Open early Wednesday ― but failed to mention his girlfriend, U.S. soccer star Trinity Rodman, who was also in attendance.Women's Star Secures World No. 1 Ranking At The U.S. OpenNEW YORK, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Second seed Elena Rybakina ended Chinese qualifier Zheng Qinwen’s stirring U.S. Open run with a 3-6 6-1 6-4 victory on Wednesday, advancing to the semifinals and securing the world number one ranking for the first time.The Australian Open winner, who will replace Aryna Sabalenka at the top of the rankings when they are updated after the tournament, recovered from a slow start and struck 20 winners as she gradually broke down Zheng’s resistance.Olympic champion Zheng, forced to go through qualifying after a chronic elbow injury disrupted her career, wrote a fine comeback story in New York and exited the court to applause from the crowd.Rybakina will next play either fifth seed Mirra Andreeva or 2023 winner Coco Gauff.Zheng saved five break points in a marathon ninth game before closing out the opening set, but her level dipped in the second set as the Australian Open winner grabbed the momentum. Zheng produced only one winner in the set, compared with 10 from her opponent.Zheng had done some of her best work in New York when her back was against the wall and she saved three break points in the penultimate game of the third set, but Rybakina’s pressure finally told as Zheng surrendered the decisive break with a double fault. (Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Toby Davis)These courts will make her feel brand new (world No.1) 🗽Elena Rybakina defeats Zheng 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to reach the US Open semifinals and clinch the WTA’s top spot! pic.twitter.com/vA4KKSLYZc— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 9, 2026The U.S. Open Is Burning The Midnight Oil With Record-Breaking Finishes This YearNEW YORK (AP) — The late-night action at the U.S. Open has now reached an extreme.Ben Shelton’s five-set thriller to beat reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals ended at 3:33 a.m. Wednesday, leaving few people awake to see the 4 1/2-hour marathon reach its finale on one of the sport’s biggest stages. That only added to the list of early-morning finishes that had already stirred frustration and concerns about how organizers were managing the schedule at the Grand Slam event with numerous matches straying well past night-owl hours.Players have long loved the electricity of playing night matches under the lights in the nation’s biggest city. But the tournament had already set a record with three post-2 a.m. finishes over the first six days, as well as having two other matches go past 1 a.m.That had included Venus Williams being subjected to the latest start in U.S. Open history at 12:13 a.m., after it took 4 hours, 36 minutes for Novak Djokovic to get knocked out in the first round.“It’s not ideal,” Williams said at the time.Shelton himself had a four-set second-round win against Denis Shapovalov that ended at 2:07 a.m.Then came Tuesday night — well, Wednesday morning.Shelton, a 23-year-old from Atlanta seeded No. 8, earned a massive win in his young career to reach his third major semifinal by taking down the second-seeded Alcaraz 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7). He closed the fifth-set tiebreak with a 146-mph ace and ended the reigning champion’s 18-match winning streak in Grand Slam tournaments.It ended with Arthur Ashe Stadium perhaps one-third full at what became the latest-finishing match in U.S. Open history.“We’re going to break the record,” TV announcer John McEnroe said. “It’s going to be the latest finish in U.S. Open history, and we are here to witness it.”This one set up an all-American semifinal matchup with 11th-seeded Frances Tiafoe, with the U.S. guaranteed to have a representative in Sunday’s final as it seeks its first major men’s title since Andy Roddick won at Flushing Meadows in 2003.About 5 1/2 hours after the match’s conclusion, the U.S. Open went to social media with a lighthearted nod to the late night, offering a fill-in-the-blank letter for fans to ask their bosses to be excused from work Wednesday.“We understand how important showing up is, but sometimes you have to make time for things you’re passionate about,” the post on X stated. “Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton put on an absolute stellar performance during their US Open quarterfinal, and ______ was a fully committed fan who was completely locked in from start to finish.”___See AP’s full tennis coverage hereAlcaraz Loss Means This U.S. Open 'Curse' Is Still Alive, Fans SayCarlos Alcaraz’s early-morning loss to Ben Shelton on Wednesday spelled the end to his bid for back-to-back U.S. Open titles, but it marked the continuation of a so-called curse that’s haunted champions in the men’s bracket since 2009.In the 17 years since Argentina’s Juan Martín del Potro defeated Roger Federer in the ’09 final, bringing the tennis legend’s run of five straight U.S. Open titles to an end, no man has repeated as singles champion.A win that year would have made Federer the only man in the Open era with six titles.He also would have been the first to win six titles since Bill Tilden did it in the amateur era (when no professional tennis players were in the tournament) back in 1925.Federer recently described falling in the ’09 final as a “big regret” of his, noting that he knew he’d never get the opportunity back and “missed out on so many chances” throughout the match.Tennis fans remarked on the title defense curse on Reddit, with one user writing that they thought Alcaraz would finally break it after coming back from injury.“I guess some things are meant to stay,” the user wrote. “Del Potro put a curse on that court on that fateful day in 2009 and things haven’t been the same ever since.”'A Great Guy': Tiafoe Gives Michelsen A Shoulder To Cry On In Emotional U.S. Open MomentNEW YORK (AP) — Frances Tiafoe knew Alex Michelsen needed a shoulder to cry on.So after handing his fellow American a crushing defeat in the U.S. Open quarterfinals Tuesday, Tiafoe held Michelsen in a long embrace while the 22-year-old sobbed into his shoulder.“I really like Alex. I really, really do, and I just wanted to come up there and just dap him up,” Tiafoe said. “I didn’t think it was going to be as long as it was, but I understand the moment. He was definitely crying on my shoulders. Yeah, we just had some words for each other, and that was it.”Michelsen was playing in his first Grand Slam quarterfinal and was just a few points from winning it after taking the first two sets. The No. 11-seeded Tiafoe came back to win 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (10-6), starting his turnaround after Michelsen failed to serve out the match with a 5-4 lead in the third set.Michelsen said he didn’t speak much when they met at the net.“I was trying to keep it together and I didn’t do a good job of that,” Michelsen said. “He was saying a lot of nice personal things. ‘You’ll be there. When I’m older, you’re going to be here, and we’re going to play it again in this type of circumstance.’ All that good stuff. He’s a great guy for consoling me in that moment.”This was the third pro match between the two, with Tiafoe winning both previous encounters. Michelsen said after his fourth-round victory that Tiafoe was an “unbelievable guy and a very good friend of mine,” and said similar after Tuesday’s defeat.“I don’t think anyone else could have made me cry in that moment, to be honest,” Michelsen said.Tiafoe is 28, one of the leaders of American men’s tennis and a fan favorite at the U.S. Open, where he has reached his third semifinal. He said Sunday in looking ahead to the match that he had developed a good relationship with Michelsen.Jessica Pegula said she watched the end of the match before she took the court for her quarterfinal victory over Emma Navarro.“Just seeing Alex hug him at the end, I started crying in the locker room,” the No. 3-ranked American said. “It was so heartbreaking. My heart hurt so much.”Michelsen left the court with a towel on his head, raising his arm to acknowledge the cheers from the crowd. Tiafoe told those fans what he thought of Michelsen’s performance.“I mean, he easily could have won today so shout out to Alex Michelsen,” Tiafoe said.___See AP’s full tennis coverage hereU.S. Open Preview: Gauff Faces Andreeva, Zverev To Battle Van de Zandschulp On WednesdayNEW YORK, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Elena Rybakina‘s bid for the world number one ranking takes center stage on Wednesday when the U.S. Open quarterfinals continue, while home favorite Coco Gauff faces fellow French Open winner Mirra Andreeva and top seed Alexander Zverev plays Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp.Rybakina can move to the top of the rankings by reaching the semi-finals but standing in her way is the tournament’s comeback queen Qinwen Zheng, who has fought back from two 0-5 deficits in the previous rounds and a match point down to reach the last eight as a qualifier.TOP WOMEN’S MATCH: RYBAKINA v. ZHENGRybakina has been relentless in New York, reaching the quarter-finals without dropping a set and losing just 25 games.The Australian Open champion has also won four of her five meetings with Zheng, including both of their matches this year in Madrid and Doha.But Zheng, ranked 121st after falling out of the top 100 following elbow surgery, has rediscovered the form that took her to Olympic gold in 2024 and a career-high ranking of fourth.The 23-year-old fought back from 0-5 against Madison Keys, saving a match point before securing victory, then rallied from the same deficit again on Monday against six-times major winner Iga Swiatek to prevail 7-5 6-3.“She definitely found her form and I feel like she’s playing now with a lot of confidence after so many wins in a row, so she’s very dangerous,” Rybakina said.TOP MEN’S MATCH: ZVEREV v. VAN DE ZANDSCHULPZverev has recovered from a brutal start to his campaign, when he spent almost 10 hours on court across back-to-back five-setters, to win his last two matches in straight sets.The French Open champion, who was runner-up in New York in 2020, could become only the fourth man to win his first two Grand Slam titles in the same calendar year since the professional era began in 1968.But Van de Zandschulp is coming off a marathon of his own, having saved a match point and fought back from two sets down to beat lucky loser Arthur Gea in five hours and 13 minutes, the fourth-longest match in U.S. Open history. The Dutchman is back in the quarter-finals in Flushing Meadows after his 2021 breakthrough run.“I think this is probably even better than the first quarter-final I made here,” Van de Zandschulp said.GAUFF FACES ANDREEVAGauff brings a 10-match winning streak and 20 consecutive sets into her quarter-final against reigning French Open champion Andreeva, after making it back to the last eight in her home slam for the first time since winning the title in 2023.The fourth seed has won all five of their previous meetings, and will look to overcome the Russian fifth seed in her quest for a third Grand Slam title.U.S. OPEN ORDER OF PLAY ON WEDNESDAY (prefix number denotes seeding):ARTHUR ASHE STADIUM (11:30 a.m. ET)No. 2 Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) v. Qinwen Zheng (China)No. 5 Mirra Andreeva (Russia) v. No. 4 Coco Gauff (U.S.)Karen Khachanov (Russia) v No. 28 Alexander Blockx (Belgium)(7:30 p.m. ET)No. 1 Alexander Zverev (Germany) v Botic van de Zandschulp (Netherlands)(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in New York; Editing by Clare Fallon)U.S. Open Recap: Shelton Beats Alcaraz In Late-Night Classic, Sabalenka SurvivesNEW YORK, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Ben Shelton sent defending champion Carlos Alcaraz packing from the U.S. Open quarterfinals in the early hours of Wednesday, the pair slugging it out in the latest-finishing match in tournament history, while Aryna Sabalenka was pushed to the limit but kept her title defense alive.Spaniard Alcaraz had defied concerns over his long layoff due to a wrist injury but came undone against American eighth seed Shelton, who plays countryman Frances Tiafoe for a place in the final.Alcaraz, 23, struggled with accuracy, making an uncharacteristic 53 unforced errors, and was dragged into a punishing four-hour and 28-minute battle, where Shelton sealed a 6-7(5) 6-1 6-3 1-6 7-6(10-7) victory at 3:33 a.m. on Wednesday.“Carlos is one of the greatest champions in our sport already,” Shelton said of the seven-times Grand Slam champion.“It’s always fun being on the court against him. It’s ridiculous some of the stuff he comes up with sometimes, but it’s the most enjoyable match I’ve had in my career.”While Shelton and Tiafoe continue their quest to become the first American men’s Grand Slam champion since Andy Roddick’s 2003 triumph at Flushing Meadows, Alcaraz departed with a smile on his face.“I think everyone could see it on court,” he said.“We left the court smiling, happy. At the end of the day, when matches are that close, that tight, and you end up losing after 4-1/2 hours, well, it’s never pleasant.“But you have to look at the bigger picture, we played some absolutely brilliant tennis. The crowd really enjoyed it. There were loads of people in the stadium supporting us.”SABALENKA PUSHEDSabalenka had not dropped a set this year in New York but found herself pushed to the limit in a 7-6(1) 3-6 7-6(10-7) win over Linda Noskova to reach her sixth consecutive U.S. Open semi-final.The highly anticipated meeting between the Czech Wimbledon winner and the U.S. Open champion lived up to expectations and the Belarusian clinched victory with a second-serve ace.“I felt at some point in the third set she was definitely serving better than me and putting so much pressure on me, but I’m glad that threw that thought away and I was able to focus point by point,” said Sabalenka.U.S. fan favourite Tiafoe came back from two sets and a break down to defeat compatriot Alex Michelsen 5-7 3-6 7-5 6-3 7-6(6), flinging his racket to the court in a scene of joy after sealing the win with a signature forehand.The marathon match pushed Tuesday’s evening program to a later start, and third seed Jessica Pegula came from behind to see off fellow American Emma Navarro 3-6 6-4 6-3 in a contest that was dubbed by local media as the “Battle of the Billionaires”.Pegula, daughter of Buffalo Bills and Sabres owner Terry Pegula, is among three women who could overtake Sabalenka as the world number one at this tournament.She extended her record over Navarro, the daughter of billionaire businessman Ben Navarro, to 5-0.(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Toby Davis, Jamie Freed and Peter Rutherford)Defending U.S. Open Champion Alcaraz Beaten In Quarter-Finals By Ben SheltonDefending champion Carlos Alcaraz of Spain was stunned 6-7(5) 6-1 6-3 1-6 7-6(10-7) by American Ben Shelton in the U.S. Open quarterfinals on Tuesday, as his bid for back-to-back titles at the Grand Slam came to an end.Read more here:Sabalenka Rallies To Keep Three-Peat Hopes Alive At The U.S. OpenNEW YORK (AP) — Aryna Sabalenka kept alive her hopes for a third straight U.S. Open championship by fighting off Linda Noskova 7-6 (1), 3-6, 7-6 (10-7) on Tuesday in a thrilling quarterfinal matchup of major champions.Sabalenka finished off the match with a second-serve ace to turn back the Wimbledon champion and reach the semifinals in Flushing Meadows for the sixth straight year.Sabalenka — who needed to win to maintain any hope of keeping the No. 1 ranking — will face either No. 3 Jessica Pegula or No. 26 Emma Navarro on Thursday in the semifinals.Noskova, the No. 6 seed, won her first major title at the All England Club and narrowly missed becoming the first woman since Serena Williams in 2016 to follow a title on the grass by reaching the final four on the hard courts of New York.Sabalenka was in danger of her earliest exit at the U.S. Open since going out in the second round in 2020 when Noskova got a break in the third set en route to a 4-2 lead.“What a battle. What an incredible player she is and I’m speechless right now because I was pushing myself to the limit in this match, especially in the third set,” Sabalenka said. “I honestly thought that that’s it, the match is over and probably that’s what helped me to kind of like, I don’t know, feel loose and just go after my shots.”And when she did, she made just enough of them to pull it out.Noskova finished with 46 winners to Sabalenka’s 42, and she hit 18 aces to Sabalenka’s 12. Both players were able to end points quickly, and Sabalenka also showed off some impressive speed in tracking down drop shots.Sabalenka came to the U.S. Open far off her usual form on hard courts, losing in the fourth round in both Toronto and Cincinnati after falling at that stage at Wimbledon. But she had recovered in New York, not dropping a set en route to the quarterfinals.She appeared struggling to stay under control at one point, changing her racket during the third set while trying to regain her touch. She went behind 2-0 in the match tiebreaker but pulled ahead for good when Noskova double-faulted to make it 4-3, and Sabalenka took the next two points for some critical breathing room.Sabalenka will lose the No. 1 ranking she has held for 99 consecutive weeks if No. 2 Elena Rybakina beats Zheng Qinwen on Wednesday to reach the semifinals. If Rybakina loses, Sabalenka can keep her hold on it by winning the title.___See AP’s full tennis coverage hereSee All Updates