Sabalenka and Townsend meet in the fourth round, and only one of them will have the crowd
Aryna Sabalenka has been World No. 1 for 99 weeks and can only stay there by winning this tournament. Taylor Townsend is ranked No. 96 and has reached the second week of a major only in New York, three times. They meet on Sunday, and the crowd has already chosen. “I’m built for these moments,” Townsend said.
Taylor Townsend, US Open 2026 | © AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura/SIPA
The two matches that mattered most on Friday evening at Flushing Meadows finished within an hour of each other and produced the tie of the fourth round. Aryna Sabalenka, the World No. 1 for the last 99 consecutive weeks, beat Kamilla Rakhimova 6-3, 6-4. Taylor Townsend, ranked No. 96 and the most popular player in the building, beat Diana Shnaider 6-2, 6-7 (3), 6-3. They play each other on Sunday.
Sabalenka is in the second week here for the sixth year running, on a night when nothing came off her serve. She hit 10 aces, faced no break points and at one stage looked up to find her first-serve percentage at 100.
“The statistic was insane,” she said. “At some point I saw on the screen it was 100% first serve. I was, like, oh, wow. After that, it went a little bit down. Probably shouldn’t have been watching around.”
It was her 43rd win of the season and her 37th at this tournament, more than any player has managed here since her main-draw debut in 2018. She has reached the final on each of her last three visits, winning in 2024 against Jessica Pegula and in 2025 against Amanda Anisimova after losing the 2023 final to Coco Gauff. A third consecutive title would make her the first woman to do it in New York since Serena Williams, from 2012 to 2014, and it is also the only result that will keep her at No. 1 after the fortnight.
Townsend has never lost in the second week anywhere else
Townsend’s win was her first over a top-20 player this season and takes her into the fourth round here for the second consecutive year. All three times she has reached the second week of a Grand Slam, it has happened in New York.
She had beaten Australian wild card Taylah Preston 6-1, 6-1 and Polish No. 20 seed Maja Chwalinska 6-2, 6-3 to get there, and she said afterwards that the fortnight had begun in fear rather than confidence.
“I was so nervous coming into this tournament because I knew that I made the fourth round last year. I didn’t want my ranking to drop. I wanted to prove that I was just as good this year as I was last year,” Townsend said. “And I had to let all that go. I literally had to just say, Taylor, just go and play. I think that this is the most free that I’ve ever been on the court.”
Asked what to expect against the World No. 1, she did not hedge.
“I’m fucking pumped, I’m so excited about it. I feel like I thrive in these moments,” Townsend said. “I played Coco (Gauff) on Chatrier. I played Iga (Swiatek) on (Wimbledon) Centre Court. I played Simona Halep on Ashe, I played Serena on Ashe. I’m built for these moments. Now is my time. I’m ready to take it.”
Sabalenka knows what Sunday will sound like
The champion was asked about the matchup before it was confirmed, and about the crowd that will come with it.
“She’s a great player. Coming back after having a baby, that was an amazing moment for her,” Sabalenka said. “She’s a tricky player, because she brings the variety, comes to the net, really makes you think during the game. I’m pretty sure it’s going to be a great battle.”
On the atmosphere, she has changed her position over the years. “At the beginning I felt a little bit sad and I felt offended by that,” she said. “But with time I realized, why would I? It’s so obvious that they’re gonna support them more than me. Why should they cheer for me rather than for their player.”
She also offered a caveat. “I’m pretty good with shutting down the noises from the outside. I won’t be hearing them. Or sometimes they can piss me off, and that’s also not good for them.”
