NEW YORK, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the US Open semifinals for the sixth straight year, while American Ben Shelton stunned second seed Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set quarterfinal thriller on Tuesday.
Sabalenka defeated Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova 7-6 (1), 3-6, 7-6 (10-7) in a hard-fought match that featured a 10-point tiebreaker in the deciding set. The Belarusian took an early 3-0 lead in the first set before Noskova broke back as Sabalenka served for the set. Sabalenka then dominated the tiebreaker, dropping just one point.
Noskova evened the match by claiming the second set. She broke early in the third to lead 4-2, but Sabalenka responded to force a 4-4 deadlock. In the decisive 10-point tiebreaker, Sabalenka prevailed 10-7, extending her US Open winning streak to 18 matches.
"I'm speechless right now because I was pushing myself to the limit, especially in the third set," Sabalenka said. "These kind of matches definitely boost my confidence, my energy and my motivation."
Sabalenka will face third-seeded Jessica Pegula in the semifinals. Pegula rallied from a set down to defeat Emma Navarro 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
On the men's side, eighth-seeded Shelton outlasted Alcaraz 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (7) in a match lasting more than four hours. Shelton sealed the victory with an ace in the deciding-set tiebreaker.
Shelton will meet 11th seed Frances Tiafoe, who survived a five-set battle against fellow American Alex Michelsen 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (6).
In women's doubles, Jiang Xinyu and Zhang Shuai of China fell to the second-seeded team of Gabriela Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani 6-3, 6-4. ■
