Marketa Vondrousova, of the Czech Republic, reacts after defeating Elena Rybakina, of Kazakhstan, during the fourth round of the US Open tennis championships, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, reacts after defeating Cristina Bucsa, of Spain, during the fourth round of the US Open tennis championships, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
Marketa Vondrousova, of the Czech Republic, reacts after defeating Elena Rybakina, of Kazakhstan, during the fourth round of the US Open tennis championships, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
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Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, reacts after defeating Cristina Bucsa, of Spain, during the fourth round of the US Open tennis championships, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
NEW YORK (AP) — Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka returned to the U.S. Open semifinals without hitting a ball on Tuesday night because the woman she was supposed to face in the quarterfinals, 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova, pulled out of their match with an injury.
The U.S. Tennis Association's announcement of the walkover — about two hours before the match was scheduled to begin in Arthur Ashe Stadium — did not specify what was wrong with , a 26-year-old left-hander from the Czech Republic.
She had advanced to the quarterfinals with a three-set victory over 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina on Sunday night.
Sabalenka now will meet No. 4 Jessica Pegula in the semifinals on Thursday. That is a rematch of last year’s championship match at Flushing Meadows, .
Vondrousova has been as high as No. 6 in the WTA rankings but a series of injuries over the years kept off the tour for stretches at a time. That included operations on her wrist in 2022 and on her shoulder last year.
She entered the U.S. Open ranked 60th and unseeded.
