Marion Bartoli says Aryna Sabalenka has done something ‘extraordinary’ at the US Open as she reaches semi-finals

Both players deserve credit for their performances and how they handled difficult circumstances, for instance, when the US Open closed the roof while Noskova was serving to stay in the match.

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Former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli was keen to praise Sabalenka and Noskova after their quarterfinal.

Marion Bartoli says the way Aryna Sabalenka is handling the pressure at the US Open is ‘extraordinary’

During Sky Sports’ US Open coverage, Bartoli shared her thoughts on Sabalenka and Noskova’s thrilling clash.

“You had two matches within the match. You had the beginning where it was 5-2 to [Aryna] Sabalenka extremely quickly, and we were all thinking maybe this is too much for Linda Noskova,” she said.

“But all of a sudden, within five minutes, everything changed.

“She had to play two tie breaks today. The first one in the first set and the last one to win the match.

“The way she has been able to handle those two tiebreaks [was impressive], with differences too. In the first one, she was cruising, but in the last one she was down 0-2 and had to change the score.”

Bartoli also weighed in on the pressure Sabalenka has dealt with at the 2026 US Open.

“When you are the defending champion, and you have your number one ranking on the line, the way she has been reacting to that is extraordinary,” said Bartoli.

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To remain world number one after the US Open, Sabalenka must win the title and hope Elena Rybakina fails to reach the semis.

The Kazakhstani will play Qinwen Zheng for a spot in the semis and the world number one ranking on Wednesday, but for now, Sabalenka is doing all she can.

Bartoli continued, highlighting the level Sabalenka and Noskova produced on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“It has been really an amazing level from both players, when you have 40+ winners from both sides,” she said.

“Linda Noskova had 17 aces, and she still lost the match!

“That just shows you the level of grit, determination, and aggression that Sabalenka was able to find.”

Who will Aryna Sabalenka play next at the US Open?

Sabalenka will return to play Jessica Pegula or Emma Navarro in the US Open semis.

The Belarusian has met Navarro three times on tour and leads their head-to-head 2-1.

Aryna Sabalenka and Emma Navarro’s head-to-head record (2-1)

However, she has a much more storied history with Pegula.

Sabalenka leads Pegula 9-4 in their head-to-head.

Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula’s head-to-head record (9-4)

She will be the favourite in either matchup, but won’t underestimate her semi-final opponents.

Pegula and Navarro will play their quarter-final later on Tuesday, having been scheduled as the first match of the evening session on Arthur Ashe.