Sabalenka Survives Noskova as Pegula Rallies | US Open 2026 Day 10 Roundup
US Open 2026 Day 10 Roundup
The US Open 2026 Day 10 roundup delivered two dramatic three-set escapes as Aryna Sabalenka survived Linda Noskova and Jessica Pegula recovered against Emma Navarro to arrange a rematch of the 2024 final.
Sabalenka remains two victories away from an historic third consecutive US Open title, while Pegula reached the semifinals in New York for the third straight year. Top doubles seeds Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend also advanced comfortably.
US Open 2026 Day 10 Roundup: Sabalenka Survives Noskova Thriller
Aryna Sabalenka defeated Linda Noskova 7–6(1), 3–6, 7–6(10–7) in the most competitive match of her title defence.
Noskova entered as the reigning Wimbledon champion and became the first player to take a set from Sabalenka during this tournament.
The Czech struck 18 aces and repeatedly denied Sabalenka the quick points that had carried the world No. 1 through the opening four rounds. After narrowly losing the first-set tiebreak, Noskova responded by taking the second set and establishing a 4–2 lead in the decider.
For the first time in New York, Sabalenka appeared genuinely close to elimination.
The defending champion recovered the break and forced the match into a deciding 10-point tiebreak. Noskova continued to match her power, but Sabalenka handled the final points with greater composure and completed the victory after two hours and 22 minutes.
It was not Sabalenka’s cleanest performance, but it may prove more valuable than another straightforward victory. Her previous opponents had never forced her to confront sustained scoreboard pressure. Noskova did—and Sabalenka still found a route through.
The victory sends Sabalenka into her sixth consecutive US Open semifinal and keeps her pursuit of a third straight title alive. No woman has completed a New York three-peat since Serena Williams won from 2012 through 2014.
Watch: Sabalenka vs Noskova highlights
Pegula Recovers to Eliminate Navarro
Jessica Pegula defeated Emma Navarro 3–6, 6–4, 6–3, overturning a difficult opening set and another deficit in the decider.
Navarro began as the more settled player.
She absorbed Pegula’s pace, redirected the ball efficiently and benefited from an error-filled opening performance by the No. 3 seed. Pegula struggled to establish control through her serve and surrendered the first set 6–3.
The match changed gradually rather than through one spectacular moment.
Pegula reduced her errors, found greater depth from the baseline and applied more consistent pressure to Navarro’s service games. She secured the decisive break in the second set and levelled the match.
Navarro responded by moving ahead early in the third, but Pegula refused to allow the deficit to grow. She recovered the break and took command during the closing stages, winning five of the final six games.
The result gave Pegula her 50th victory of the 2026 season, making her the first woman to reach that total this year. It also extended her perfect record against Navarro to five victories from five meetings.
More importantly, Pegula reached the US Open semifinals for the third consecutive year.
Her tournament has required two significant comebacks. She recovered after losing the opening set 6–1 against Leylah Fernandez in the third round and has now overturned another one-set deficit against Navarro.
Those escapes demonstrate resilience, but they also carry a warning. Sabalenka is unlikely to offer Pegula much recovery time if she starts slowly again.
Watch: Pegula vs Navarro highlights
Sabalenka and Pegula Renew Their New York Rivalry
Sabalenka and Pegula will now meet in a rematch of the 2024 US Open final, which Sabalenka won in two competitive sets.
The semifinal connects two of the tournament’s strongest continuing stories.
Sabalenka is attempting to become only the third woman in the Open Era to win three consecutive US Open singles titles, following Chris Evert and Serena Williams.
Pegula is pursuing the Grand Slam championship that has repeatedly remained just beyond her reach. New York has become her most reliable major: she has now reached at least the semifinals in three consecutive appearances.
Their routes to the semifinal have been very different.
Sabalenka reached the quarterfinals without losing a set before being pushed to the limit by Noskova. Pegula has already survived two three-set comebacks but has continued finding solutions when her best tennis was unavailable.
The semifinal may be decided by which player handles pressure more effectively rather than which produces the greater number of spectacular shots.
Siniakova and Townsend Reach Doubles Semifinals
Top seeds Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend defeated Cristina Bucșa and Nicole Melichar-Martinez 6–4, 6–2.
Siniakova and Townsend converted all three break-point opportunities and did not lose serve. They won 83% of their first-serve points and controlled the second set after a more competitive opening passage.
The leading seeds are attempting to complete a career Grand Slam as a partnership. They have already won the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon together, leaving the US Open as the missing major title.
Other Women’s Doubles Quarterfinal Results
Elise Mertens and Diana Shnaider defeated Hsieh Su-wei and Jelena Ostapenko 7–5, 6–3. The No. 8 seeds converted four of six break opportunities to eliminate the fourth-seeded team.
Gabriela Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani defeated Jiang Xinyu and Zhang Shuai 6–3, 6–4. The second seeds did not face a break point and reached their fourth Grand Slam semifinal of the season.
Unseeded Americans Ashlyn Krueger and Robin Montgomery defeated ninth seeds Erin Routliffe and Aldila Sutjiadi 7–6(5), 6–3. They converted all three of their break opportunities to continue their breakthrough run.
Completed doubles scores
- Katerina Siniakova/Taylor Townsend def. Cristina Bucșa/Nicole Melichar-Martinez — 6–4, 6–2
- Elise Mertens/Diana Shnaider def. Hsieh Su-wei/Jelena Ostapenko — 7–5, 6–3
- Gabriela Dabrowski/Luisa Stefani def. Jiang Xinyu/Zhang Shuai — 6–3, 6–4
- Ashlyn Krueger/Robin Montgomery def. Erin Routliffe/Aldila Sutjiadi — 7–6(5), 6–3
What Day 10 Told Us
Sabalenka remains the woman to beat—but Noskova proved she is not untouchable.
The defending champion was challenged through power, serving and scoreboard pressure. Her ability to recover from a break down in the final set was the clearest demonstration yet of why she has won 18 consecutive matches at the US Open.
Pegula’s passage was less commanding but equally revealing.
She again found a way to win after her initial tactics and execution failed. That capacity matters late in a Grand Slam, although another slow start against Sabalenka could prove fatal.
Navarro and Noskova leave the tournament after showing that both belong in the later rounds of majors. Neither defeat was routine: Noskova came within a few tiebreak points of eliminating the defending champion, while Navarro controlled Pegula for significant stretches.
Day 10 produced the first confirmed women’s semifinal:
Aryna Sabalenka vs. Jessica Pegula
The remaining quarterfinals will determine the other:
- Coco Gauff vs. Mirra Andreeva
- Qinwen Zheng vs. Elena Rybakina
The Zheng–Rybakina match also carries major consequences for the battle for world No. 1, ensuring the ranking race remains connected directly to the championship race.