US Open: Defending champions Alcaraz and Sabalenka reach quarters

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz beat 20th-seeded Tommy Paul in straight sets to reach his fifth US Open quarterfinal, while top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka defeated American Taylor Townsend 6-4, 6-3 to make the last eight for the sixth consecutive year on Sunday.

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain hits a return during the men's singles fourth round match between Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and Tommy Paul of the United States, at the 2026 US Open tennis championships in New York, the United States, Sept. 6, 2026. (Xinhua/Li Rui)

Sabalenka and Townsend broke serve through the first five games. Two-time US Open champion Sabalenka led 5-2 before Townsend pulled two games back, and Sabalenka closed out the set with a forehand winner on serve. Townsend broke first in the second set and led 3-1 before Sabalenka won five straight games.

Sabalenka, whose 99 consecutive weeks at No. 1 rank sixth all time, said maintaining her level demands more than some may realize.

"Probably they don't understand how hard it is mentally and physically to keep up the level," she said. "Mentally, I stay disconnected from that, because the moment you start thinking about it, you lose it."

Sabalenka will next face sixth-seeded Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic, who outlasted 11th-seeded Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 to reach her first US Open quarterfinal.

"Linda has a really aggressive style to her game," Sabalenka said. "She's serving really well, playing superfast. You've got to stay really low to be able to handle that power and energy. I've played a couple of matches against her, which weren't the easiest matches."

Third seed Jessica Pegula beat 16th-seeded Sorana Cirstea of Romania 6-3, 6-4 to reach her third consecutive US Open quarterfinal.

In the men's draw, after a 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 victory against Paul, Alcaraz said the win showed him exactly where his game stands.

"I'm really happy to see where my level is right now. Beating Tommy Paul is always great feedback to see where you are, and I'm just really happy about everything I've done today," Alcaraz said. "I think I returned pretty well. I saw the game really well today, what I had to do in every moment, using the right things, you know, in every moment. So I'm just really happy."

11th-seeded Frances Tiafoe defeated seventh seed Daniil Medvedev of Russia 7-6 (1), 6-4, 7-6 (6) and will next face fellow American Alex Michelsen, who beat 27th-seeded Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina 7-6 (6), 6-4, 6-4.