Sabalenka battles past Townsend to set up Noskova US Open quarter-final

Reigning champion beats Townsend in straight setsLinda Noskova defeats Marta Kostyuk 7-5, 5-7, 6-4Aryna Sabalenka’s US Open title defence continued to gather steam as she returned to the ­quarter‑finals at Flushing Meadows with a solid ­performance and an assured ­victory, defeating Taylor Townsend 6-4, 6-3.This was a challenging match despite the routine scoreline, with Sabalenka failing initially to serve out the first set, trailing 1-3 in set two and dropping serve four times. But she handled the decisive moments with composure, rolling through the final five games of the match to advance against the American. Continue reading...