Linda Noskova, by contrast, opens with a double fault.

A tame second serve is pounded back to the baseline by Aryna Sabalenka and Noskova's backhand goes into the net.

Another error, this time on her forehand.

Three break points.

Aryna Sabalenka wallops a couple of first serves to race into a 30-0 lead, pounds a down-the-line forehand with Linda Noskova wisely scattering in the opposite direction, and closes out the hold with an ace out wide.

That couldn't have gone much better for the world number one.

Aryna Sabalenka leads the head-to-head 2-0, most recently beating Linda Noskova 6-3 6-4 in the semi-finals in Indian Wells in March.

Sabalenka will serve first on Arthur Ashe to get the US Open singles quarter-finals up and running.

Alongside her title defence, Aryna Sabalenka is also fighting to keep hold of her spot at the top of the WTA rankings.

Having built a lead of over 3,000 points in the spring, she arrived in New York with just 434 points separating her and world number two Elena Rybakina after a mid-season slump.

To remain world number one, Sabalenka needs to not only win the US Open but hope Rybakina loses her quarter-final meeting with Zheng Qinwen on Wednesday.

Rybakina is guaranteed to become world number one regardless of who wins the title if she reaches the semi-finals.

If she loses in the last eight, she can still climb to the top of the standings if the title is won by someone other than Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula or Coco Gauff.

Image source, Getty Images

Czech Linda Noskova is enjoying something of a purple patch in the second half of the 2026 season.

Since the end of June, the 21-year-old has lifted her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, climbed to a career-high ranking of sixth in the world, and captured a WTA 1000 doubles title at the Cincinnati Masters.

She's now enjoying a career-best run at the US Open, having never previously progressed beyond the third round, and is unbeaten in 11 singles matches at majors.

After coming through the first two rounds in straight sets, Noskova was taken to a decider by both Ann Li and Marta Kostyuk, needing six match points to see off the latter in the round of 16.

Image source, Getty Images

Aryna Sabalenka continues her title defence against sixth seed Linda Noskova.

The world number one won the title in 2024 and 2025 and is hoping to become the first woman since Serena Williams to not only reach six consecutive semi-finals in New York but also win three successive singles titles.

The 28-year-old, who already has three hard-court titles in 2026, is unbeaten in 18 matches at the final major in the calendar.

But Sabalenka hasn't had it all her own way en route to the last eight despite not facing a top-50 opponent or dropping a set.

In round four against Taylor Townsend, for example, she had her serve broken four times and trailed 3-1 in the second set before completing a hard-fought 6-4 6-3 win.

BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

Listen to live BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra commentary of the US Open on BBC Sounds or by tapping the 'listen live' button at the top of this page.

Coverage has just got under way.

Men's singles

• Alexander Zverev [1] v Botic van de Zandschulp
• Karen Khachanov v Alexander Blockx [28]
• Frances Tiafoe [11] v Alex Michelsen
• Ben Shelton [8] v Carlos Alcaraz [2]

Women's singles

• Aryna Sabalenka [1] v Linda Noskova [6]
• Jessica Pegula [3] v Emma Navarro [26]
• Mirra Andreeva [5] v Coco Gauff [4]
• Zheng Qinwen [Q] v Elena Rybakina [2]

• Men's top seed Alexander Zverev beat Luciano Darderi in straight sets to reach the quarter-finals, with Karen Khachanov and Alexander Blockx also winning.
• France's Arthur Gea was one point away from being the first lucky loser to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final before losing to Botic van de Zandschulp.
• Former champion Coco Gauff beat fellow American Iva Jovic in straight sets while Elena Rybakina raced past Naomi Osaka 6-1 6-4 to move to within one win of the number one ranking.
• Six-time major winner Iga Swiatek lost to Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, who trailed 5-0 before winning in straight sets
• French Open champion Mirra Andreeva recovered from losing the first set to beat Anastasia Potapova.

Image source, Getty Images

Hello there!

It's quarter-final time in the men's and women's singles at the 2026 US Open and that means we've got some pretty tasty matches to look forward to!

Later on we'll be bringing you an all-American clash between Frances Tiafoe and Alex Michelsen in the men's draw.

But first up on Arthur Ashe, it's world number one Aryna Sabalenka against Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova.

Let's dive in!