Who are the 2026 US Open women's singles quarterfinalists?
The 2026 US Open women's singles quarterfinalists are Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, Linda Noskova, Mirra Andreeva, Coco Gauff, Emma Navarro and Zheng Qinwen.
The buzz heading into the US Open surrounded the wide-open race for the No. 1 ranking. Four players—Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff—entered with a shot at the top spot, with Rybakina in the pole position (she needed only to reach the semis; the rest had to win the tournament and have Rybakina fall in the quarters or earlier) and only current No. 1 Sabalenka having previously held the highest perch.
But as we head into Tuesday’s play, the conversation has shifted. Yes, the No. 1 ranking is still on the line. And yes, all four women remain in the hunt. But there is something larger at stake: a US Open women’s singles title, and the tennis immortality that comes with it.
And what a chase it’ll be to the finish. A relatively chalky first week has produced some incredible matchups for the Elite Eight, with a pack chasing the title that includes the top four players in the world plus French Open winner Mirra Andreeva, Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova and two lower-ranked but eminently qualified entrants: 2024 US Open semifinalist Emma Navarro and reigning Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen.
With that, let’s take a look at the contenders for the 2026 women’s championship:
Aryna Sabalenka
Seed/Rank: 1/1
Next Opponent: No. 6 Linda Noskova
Best US Open Result: W (2024-25)
Best Grand Slam Result: W (2023-24 Australian Open, 2024-25 US Open)
Sets Won/Lost: 8-0
Distance Run: 9,472 feet
Time Spent on Court: 5 hours, 5 minutes
It’s been an uncomplicated run into Week 2 for the two-time defending US Open champion. Sabalenka has yet to be tested in even a set, her closest stanza checking in at 6-4 and her tightest match a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Taylor Townsend in the Round of 16. That means the 28-year-old, who has spent the least time on court of any player left in the draw, should have plenty in the tank for a run at her third consecutive title in Flushing Meadows, a feat accomplished in the Open Era only by Chris Evert (1975-78) and Serena Williams (2012-14). Next up: reigning Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova, against whom Sabalenka owns a 2-0 career head-to-head record.
Elena Rybakina
Seed/Rank: 2/2
Next Opponent: Zheng Qinwen
Best US Open Result: QF (2026)
Previous Best US Open Result: 4R (2025)
Best Grand Slam Result: W (2022 Wimbledon, 2026 Australian Open), F (2023 Australian Open)
Sets Won/Lost: 8-0
Distance Run: 13,122 feet
Time Spent on Court: 5:20
Alongside Carlos Alcaraz’s wrist, Rybakina’s ankle was the most talked-about joint in tennis heading into this year’s Open. The 27-year-old has laid those concerns to rest with a dominant display so far, cruising into the quarters without surrendering a set and with only one real test: a 7-6, 6-3 third-round victory over Yuliia Starodubtseva. The US Open is a continuation of the best season of Rybakina’s career: She has reached the quarterfinals or better at 11 events, headlined by the Australian Open crown and supported by a title in Stuttgart and runner-up showings in Indian Wells and Toronto. Rybakina next faces a resurgent Zheng Qinwen. The two women have played five times previously, with Rybakina holding a 4-1 edge; both their matches this year went the distance.
Jessica Pegula
Seed/Rank: 3/3
Next Opponent: No. 26 Emma Navarro
Best US Open Result: F (2024)
Best Grand Slam Result: F (2024 US Open), SF (2025 US Open, 2026 Australian Open)
Sets Won/Lost: 8-1
Distance Run: 15,859 feet
Time Spent on Court: 5:55
The steady Pegula has moved through this year’s US Open with relative ease, her only blemish being a first-set setback to Leylah Fernandez in the third round. Aside from that, no other set the 32-year-old has contested has been closer than 6-4, and she is averaging less than 90 minutes on court per match—which should put her in good stead for her quarterfinal matchup against fellow American Emma Navarro Tuesday evening. Pegula has advanced to the quarterfinals in New York four times in the last five years (falling in the fourth round in 2023) and is enjoying another standout season, reaching the quarterfinals or better in impressive 12 events, including the semifinals at the Australian Open, the finals this summer in Washington, D.C., and Cincinnati, and titles in Charleston and Dubai.
Coco Gauff
Seed/Rank: 4/4
Next Opponent: No. 5 Mirra Andreeva
Best US Open Result: W (2023)
Best Grand Slam Result: W (2023 US Open, 2025 French Open), F (2022 French Open)
Sets Won/Lost: 8-0
Distance Run: 20,958 feet
Time Spent on Court: 6:21
Her serve woes behind her, Gauff has charged into the US Open quarterfinals for the third time, not dropping a set despite a tricky draw and looking positively dominant in her 6-1, 6-4 fourth-round victory over No. 14 seed Iva Jovic. In many ways, it’s been a perfect tournament for Gauff to this stage. The 22-year-old has been tested but not pushed too much physically, meaning she should be fit and ready for the stretch run. And certainly, she is in great form, having reached the semifinals in Toronto and winning the title in Cincinnati ahead of the Open. Overall, she is now 14-1 in her last 15 matches and 19-2 dating back to her run to the Wimbledon semifinals. And she is undefeated (5-0) against quarterfinal opponent Mirra Andreeva.
Mirra Andreeva
Seed/Rank: 5/5
Next Opponent: No. 4 Coco Gauff
Best US Open Result: QF (2026)
Previous Best US Open Result: 3R (2025)
Best Grand Slam Result: W (2026 French Open), SF (2024 French Open)
Sets Won/Lost: 8-1
Distance Run: 17,894 feet
Time Spent on Court: 6:17
Andreeva is enjoying her best-ever showing in Flushing Meadows to cap off a career Grand Slam season that has included a fourth-round showing at the Australian Open and her first career major title, at Roland Garros. Already a four-time US Open main-draw participant at just 19 years old, Andreeva has shown some savvy to reach this stage, cruising through her early rounds and then outlasting No. 24 seed Anastasia Potapova in three sets in Round 4. Her run in New York also marks a return to form. Andreeva had a blistering start to the year, with titles in Adelaide and Linz and a runner-up showing in Madrid, but sagged following her French Open crown, failing to make it past the fourth round in the four events she entered. Fortunes turn quickly in Grand Slams, however, and on Wednesday Andreeva will have the chance to reach her first Final Four outside Paris when she takes on American fan favorite Coco Gauff.
Linda Noskova
Seed/Rank: 6/6
Next Opponent: No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka
Best US Open Result: QF (2026)
Previous Best US Open Result: 3R (2025)
Best Grand Slam Result: W (2026 Wimbledon), QF (2024 Australian Open)
Sets Won/Lost: 8-2
Distance Run: 19,818 feet
Time Spent on Court: 7:40
Noskova is one of the ascending stars on the WTA Tour. She was ranked 32nd in the world heading into the 2025 US Open, still eyeing her breakout moment. The 21-year-old earned that at this year’s Wimbledon, where she defeated five seeded players en route to her first Grand Slam title. And she has carried that momentum into this year’s Flushing fortnight, where she has battled into the quarterfinals for the first time (Noskova was just 3-4 in her career at the US Open prior to this year). Those victories have come at a price, though. The Czech is coming off back-to-back arduous three-setters, over Ann Li in the third round and Marta Kostyuk in the fourth round, and she enters her quarterfinal matchup against Aryna Sabalenka having run twice as much as her opponent and with two-and-a-half additional hours on court.
Emma Navarro
Seed/Rank: 26/27
Next Opponent: No. 3 Jessica Pegula
Best US Open Result: SF (2024)
Best Grand Slam Result: SF (2024 US Open), QF (2024 Wimbledon, 2025 Australian Open, 2026 US Open)
Sets Won/Lost: 8-2
Distance Run: 21,903 feet
Time Spent on Court: 8:40
Navarro was one of the rising stars in women’s tennis a couple of years ago, when she reached the quarterfinals or better at three consecutive Grand Slam events (2024 Wimbledon through the 2025 Australian Open) to crack the Top 10. Since then, she has struggled with burnout and a thyroid condition. She took a respite from the tour this spring and came back looking like her old self—maybe better—winning the title in Strasbourg, reaching a final in Nottingham and now returning to the US Open Elite Eight behind upsets of No. 7 seed Karolina Muchova and No. 21 Anna Kalinskaya. Her reward for those efforts? An all-American matchup against Jessica Pegula, against whom she is 0-4 in her career, including a loss in Cincinnati earlier this summer, though two of those four matches have gone three sets.
Zheng Qinwen
Seed/Rank: --/121
Next Opponent: No. 2 Elena Rybakina
Best US Open Result: QF (2023-24, 2026)
Best Grand Slam Result: F (2024 Australian Open), QF (2023-24, 2026 US Open; 2025 French Open)
Sets Won/Lost: 8-3
Distance Run: 26,023 feet
Time Spent on Court: 9:29
Zheng is back into a Grand Slam quarterfinal for the first time since the 2025 French Open. She lost in the first round at Wimbledon that year and shortly thereafter had elbow surgery that kept her out into early 2026. Her return to the game has been promising but uneven, with first-round losses at the French Open and Wimbledon knocking the former No. 4 player in the world outside the Top 100. As a result, Zheng had to qualify for this year’s US Open—and she hasn’t looked back since, knocking out No. 22 seed Madison Keys in a three-set thriller in the third round and upsetting No. 8 Iga Swiatek in the Round of 16 to advance to this stage. Those wins will surely provide confidence that Zheng can make an even deeper run, but she has already played seven matches, and her four main-draw matches have been demanding: three of the four went the distance, as did her final match in qualifying. And she has run more and spent more time on court than any of the other seven quarterfinalists.
