Aryna Sabalenka’s pursuit of becoming the first player to successfully defend the US Open women’s singles title in 11 years continued after her third-round victory over Leylah Fernandez.
The Belarusian did not drop a set in her first two matches at Flushing Meadows, and continued her flawless run against Fernandez, winning 6-3, 7-6.
Serena Williams was the last woman to go back-to-back in New York, a feat she managed in 2014 when completing a three-peat.
Though her route to a second consecutive US Open title is not the easiest, Sabalenka remains the favourite to hoist the famous trophy at the end of the fortnight.
With her triumph over the Canadian, she has matched Venus Williams in an impressive statistic.
Aryna Sabalenka matches Venus Williams in Grand Slam statistic
Despite not adding to her major tally this year, Sabalenka has enjoyed deep runs at each of the Grand Slam events.
She reached the final of both the Australian Open and the French Open, and advanced to the semifinals at Wimbledon.
Having added three more victories in New York after lengthy campaigns in Melbourne, Paris and London, Sabalenka has now earned 20 wins in singles at majors in 2025, more than any other WTA player.
The 27-year-old is the second active player, alongside Williams, to tally 20 or more in multiple seasons.
Aryna Sabalenka is on a collision course with two former major champions
Sabalenka’s next opponent comes in the form of Cristina Bucsa, who she has never faced at a tour-level competition.
Should she emerge victorious against the Spaniard, her quarterfinal opponent will be one of two former Wimbledon champions.
Elena Rybakina and Marketa Vondrousova will go toe-to-toe with each other for a place in the last eight, where they could potentially meet the defending champion.
At the Cincinnati Open earlier this month, Sabalenka played both Rybakina and Vondrousova, beating the Czech number four but losing to the Kazakh star.
