There are so many things about Aryna Sabalenka that make her a compelling subject for tennis media to cover.
Her ferocious intensity and power were already so watchable, yet she’s made her game even more impressive by refining her technique, incorporating new shots and playing with more variety.
Candid and extroverted, her on-court interviews and press conferences are often memorable.
She leans into the glamorous side of the game with her custom outfits, jewellery line and collaborations with luxury brands.
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These elements have won Sabalenka plenty of fans including two-time major champion Garbine Muguruza, who once told The Sit-Down podcast: “She's just a perfect personality for world No.1.
“She's fun, she's not shy, she has a lot of fans, she keeps her social media active, she has amazing strength and talent.”
All of this often overshadows another factor making Sabalenka compelling – her numbers.
With her thrilling victory over Linda Noskova at the US Open on Tuesday, Sabalenka reached a sixth consecutive semifinal in New York, something only five other women – Chris Evert, Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis, and Venus and Serena Williams – have achieved in the Open era.
It’s her 15th Grand Slam semifinal, a number she has notched in just 20 Slam appearances dating back to her first at Wimbledon in 2021. Only Evert, Graf, Hingis and Martina Navratilova went from one to 15 in an equal or shorter span.
From 4-2 down in the third set against the reigning Wimbledon champion, Sabalenka rebounded to win 7-6(1) 3-6 7-6[10-7], meaning she has won 23 of her last 24 tiebreaks at majors.
“I'm happy I finished the match obviously with second-serve ace,” she said.
“I couldn't be happier. It was really tough, tight battle. I'm just super happy that I really stayed aggressive throughout the whole match, and I really trusted my shots.
“I have to say that knowing that physically my body can handle these matches again, I'm super happy with that. And of course these kind of tight matches gives you so much confidence that you're back and you're ready to do anything it takes to get the win.”
Trusting her shots and physicality has been a challenge of late for Sabalenka, who has not reached a tournament final in almost six months.
Since winning Indian Wells and Miami back-to-back in March, the world No.1 has suffered a series of dispiriting defeats – many from winning positions – and entered the match against Noskova having lost five of her past six three-set matches.
For Sabalenka, this has been a form slump and has meant her No.1 status – a ranking she has held for 99 consecutive weeks – is under threat this fortnight in New York.
Should Elena Rybakina beat Zheng Qinwen in Wednesday’s quarterfinals, the Kazakhstani would displace Sabalenka at the summit.
Not that she minds.
“I'll be more than happy,” Sabalenka replied, when asked if she would be OK with Rybakina rising to No.1 if she defended her US Open title at the same time. “Yes, three-peat. Sounds great.”
The two-time defending champion is seeking to become just the third woman in the Open era, after Evert and Serena, to win three US Open singles titles in a row.
Sabalenka came close to achieving the same feat at the Australian Open, only to be pipped in the third set of the 2025 final by Madison Keys.
Riding an 18-match winning streak in New York, Sabalenka will also be playing for her place in an astonishing eighth consecutive hardcourt major final.
That would be an Open-era record; she's currently tied in first place, on seven, with Graf, Hingis and Novak Djokovic.
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“I'm just super happy that I put myself in the position where I have chance to go for three-peat, even though I'm still far away from that,” said Sabalenka, who next faces Jessica Pegula in a rematch of their scintillating 2025 semifinal at Flushing Meadows.
“What I learned from Australia is it's really important to shut down all of the noises and having that [potential achievement] on the back of your mind.
“It's nothing wrong about that, just as long as you're focusing on yourself, as long as you're ready to fight, basically.”
Now 18-3 at the majors in 2026, no player has won more matches on the Grand Slam stage this season than Sabalenka.
Can she win another on Wednesday, to make more history, notch more incredible numbers, and keep her dream of a US Open three-peat alive?