Aryna Sabalenka fought back from a break down in the second set to beat American Taylor Townsend 6-4 6-3 and reach a sixth consecutive US Open quarter-final, matching a feat last achieved by Serena Williams in 2016. The victory extended the two-time defending champion's unbeaten run at Flushing Meadows to 18 matches, and she now needs three more wins to equal Williams' record of three straight US Open titles, with the added incentive of retaining her world number one ranking.

The topsy-turvy contest featured ten breaks of serve, with Sabalenka recovering from 3-1 down in the second set by winning five games in a row to close it out in 75 minutes, despite the crowd largely favouring Townsend. She will next face Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova, who edged past Marta Kostyuk 7-5 5-7 6-4 after needing six match points. Elsewhere, American third seed Jessica Pegula beat Romania's Sorana Cirstea 6-3 6-4 to end the 36-year-old's Grand Slam career ahead of her planned retirement at the end of 2026, and will next play compatriot Emma Navarro for a place in the semi-finals.