Sabalenka Maintains Chance to Equal Serena

NEW YORK, FRIDAY – The world number one tennis player, Aryna Sabalenka, advanced to the fourth round of the US Open tournament. She is still on track to match Serena Williams' achievement as the last women's singles player to defend her title at Flushing Meadows, New York.

I was really looking forward to this moment of revenge and was happy to win it.

The victory in the third round at Louis Armstrong Stadium on Friday (29/8/2025) evening local time, or Saturday morning Indonesia time, was achieved in a highly anticipated match. Sabalenka defeated Leylah Fernandez with a score of 6-3, 7-6 (2) and will face Cristina Busca in the fourth round.

Sabalenka and Fernandez had only met once before they faced each other in the third round of the 2025 US Open. Sabalenka lost 6-7 (3), 6-4, 4-6, a result that remained in her mind when competing in the same tournament four years later.

"I am very much looking forward to the moment for this revenge and am happy to have won it. The defeat four years ago was a valuable lesson. Since then, I have wanted to prove that I can continue to grow," said Sabalenka.

Fernandez's victory over Sabalenka four years ago marked the moment that gave rise to a final between two unseeded teenage players in the women's singles category. Fernandez faced Emma Raducanu, both players born in 2002. The championship title was ultimately won by Raducanu, who had been competing since the qualifying rounds.

After the 2021 US Open final, Fernandez only reached the quarterfinals once out of the next 15 Grand Slams. In contrast, Sabalenka consistently remained at the top level of women's singles competition, reaching ten semifinals out of 13 Grand Slams. She won the Australian Open in 2023 and 2024, as well as the US Open in 2024 from six finals.

Thus, the victory over Fernandez keeps Sabalenka on the winning track to replicate her results at Flushing Meadows in 2024. A year ago, she was the champion after defeating the home representative, Jessica Pegula, in the final.

If she can retain her title, Sabalenka will become the first women's singles player to win the US Open consecutively since Serena Williams won in 2012-2014. After that, the championship has changed hands among nine players. Only Naomi Osaka has won twice, in 2018 and 2020.

Similar to Fernandez, Raducanu also faced defeat in the third round. The tennis player who defeated Indonesian player Janice Tjen in the second round was eliminated by Elena Rybakina with a score of 1-6, 2-6. After winning the US Open in 2021, Raducanu has only advanced to the fourth round of a Grand Slam once, which was at Wimbledon 2024.

The women's singles tennis players in the upper half of the draw who also advanced to the fourth round include Pegula and Barbora Krejcikova. Meanwhile, the seventh seed, Jasmine Polini, lost to Marketa Vondrousova with a score of 6-7 (4), 1-6.

In the men's singles competition, Novak Djokovic continues to stand strong among his younger competitors. He defeated Cameron Norrie in the third round with a score of 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-3, and will face Jan-Lennard Struff in the next round.

With this victory, the 38-year-old Djokovic becomes the oldest male singles player to reach the fourth round of the US Open since Jimmy Connors in 1991. Connors, who was also 38 years old at that time, advanced to the semifinals before being defeated by Jim Courier.

Djokovic continues to set records, adding to his tally of 24 titles and 395 victories on the Grand Slam stage. He has achieved 192 wins on hard courts at the same level.

"I actually wanted to win in straight sets without any drama, but that wasn't possible. Plus, it's been a while since I've played, so I'm still trying to get my game into the right rhythm," Djokovic said.

The tennis player, who has won the US Open four times, played at Flushing Meadows after losing to Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon semifinals in July. This year, Djokovic has consistently been halted in the semifinals of Grand Slam tournaments after losing to Sinner at the French Open and Wimbledon, as well as to Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open.

Djokovic's toughest competitor in the top half of the draw, Carlos Alcaraz, also won in the third round. He defeated Luciano Darderi 6-2, 6-4, 6-0 and will face Arthur Rinderknech in the fourth round.

Meanwhile, one of the host's mainstays, Ben Shelton, had to withdraw after completing four sets due to a shoulder injury. Shelton did not finish the match against Adrian Mannarino with a score of 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 4-6. (AFP/REUTERS)