Aryna Sabalenka Steamrolls Into Another US Open Quarterfinal

You know that feeling when your favorite restaurant puts your usual order on the table before you even sit down? That is basically what happened when Aryna Sabalenka stepped onto Louis Armstrong Stadium Sunday night. The World No. 1 didn’t just beat Spain’s Cristina Bucsa 6-1, 6-4 – she served up another masterclass in “this is my house” tennis. Can she keep it going?

Sabalenka’s Dominance Reaches Another Level

Let’s be real here: watching Sabalenka play tennis these days is like watching a master chef work with a dull knife – even when things aren’t perfect, the result is still spectacular. The Belarusian powerhouse needed just 73 minutes to dispatch Bucsa, making it look about as difficult as ordering coffee at Starbucks.

The match started three hours later than scheduled, turning what should have been an evening affair into an impromptu night session. But Sabalenka? She couldn’t care less about the schedule shuffle. When you are this locked in, you could probably play tennis in a tornado and still come out swinging.

The Numbers Don’t Lie – This Was a Clinic

Here’s where things get spicy: Sabalenka didn’t face a single break point all night. Not one. That is the tennis equivalent of pitching a perfect game while blindfolded. Meanwhile, she broke Bucsa’s serve three times. The first set was over faster than a New York minute – 27 minutes to be exact. After Bucsa managed to hold serve and level things at 1-1, Sabalenka rattled off five straight games like she was collecting Pokémon cards. Her slice forehand in that opening game was sharper than a critic’s review of a bad Broadway show.

When Champions Get Into Their Zone

The second set told a different story, but only because Bucsa refused to go quietly into that good night. Credit where it’s due – the Spaniard fought tooth and nail, saving four break points in an 11-minute service game that had more drama than a telenovela. She even pushed Sabalenka to deuce in the following game, proving that sometimes the best defense is a good… well, defense.

But here’s the thing about champions like Sabalenka: they don’t panic when the going gets tough. They get tougher. She closed out the match with the kind of composure that would make a Swiss watchmaker jealous, sealing her fifth consecutive US Open quarterfinal appearance.

The Streak That Won’t Quit

This victory marks Sabalenka’s 12th straight Grand Slam quarterfinal – a streak that started at the 2022 US Open. Twelve consecutive quarters at the biggest tournaments in tennis. That is not just consistency; that is establishing a vacation home in tennis’s elite neighborhood.

The three-time Grand Slam champion has been knocking on destiny’s door all year. She reached finals at both the Australian Open and Roland Garros, plus made the Wimbledon semifinals. You get the feeling that this US Open run might be the one where she finally kicks down that door and takes what’s hers.

What’s Next for Tennis’s Most Unstoppable Force

Up next, Sabalenka faces either Elena Rybakina or Marketa Vondrousova – two players who’ve had her number before. But if Sunday night proved anything, it’s that this version of Sabalenka is not the same player who lost those previous encounters. This is a woman on a mission, playing tennis like her life depends on it.

As she put it herself: “I’m not playing not to lose; I play to win.” And honestly? After watching her dismantle Bucsa with the kind of ruthless efficiency that would make a corporate restructuring expert weep with joy, you’d be crazy to bet against her.