The contest opened with five consecutive service breaks, largely driven by superb return play from both competitors, before Sabalenka ultimately seized control.
Townsend, a doubles expert who entered the court in a long, black-feathered ensemble, kept putting pressure on Sabalenka, forcing her to serve for the opening set a second time, and then secured her own breakthrough in the second set.
Recognizing that she needs to win the tournament to keep her hopes of staying at world number one alive, Sabalenka responded instantly by breaking back without dropping a point.
This sparked Sabalenka’s rapid charge toward victory. The top-seeded player dropped a mere five points over the concluding five games, wrapping up her victory over Townsend in just 75 minutes.
Sabalenka highly commended Townsend, remarking: “She is an extraordinary athlete—she comes to the net, returns excellently, moves brilliantly, and plays with great courage.
“Her level of concentration was obvious. Facing her was incredibly tough, particularly in this environment.
“I am so grateful [to the spectators] for showing me such respect. I expected the crowd to favor her today, but some of you cheered for me as well, which means a lot.”
Showing great comfort on the hard courts of Flushing Meadows, Sabalenka has consistently advanced to at least the semifinal stage since 2020.
However, after bowing out in the round of 16 at Wimbledon, she is determined to ensure this year does not become her first Grand Slam-less season since 2022.
The sheer relief felt by Noskova was unmistakable as she knelt on the court upon converting her sixth match point, nearly an hour after her initial opportunity to win.
The 21-year-old had the chance to serve out the victory during the second set, but squandered two match points as Kostyuk fought back from a 5-3 deficit to drag the encounter into a final set.
Both competitors traded service breaks in a high-stakes deciding set, but Noskova managed to put herself in front once more at 5-3.
Noskova was unable to capitalize on her next two match points as unforced errors allowed Kostyuk to level at deuce. After saving a break point, she dropped her fifth match point before finally securing the win, ending a grueling two-and-a-half-hour emotional rollercoaster on court.
“I feel incredibly relieved; that was an exceptionally demanding battle, perhaps even more taxing mentally than physically,” Noskova commented.
“The margins were incredibly small today, and it easily could have gone the other way. Given the opportunities I let slip in the second set, regrouping was really difficult.”
