Two-time defending champ Aryna Sabalenka beats Taylor Townsend to reach the US Open quarterfinals

NEW YORK (AP) — Solving some early struggles to hold serve, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka overpowered Taylor Townsend on Sunday to reach the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open.

Townsend broke Sabalenka three times in the two-time defending champion's first four service games as she looked to spring the upset. Sabalenka found a groove, regained her confidence and won 6-4, 6-3.

“Basically, I was just trying to stay focused on myself and play not only point by point but ball by ball,” Sabalenka said. “I’m happy that I was able to turn it around in that second set.”

This was the first meeting between Sabalenka and Townsend, who gave her opponent fits in the first set but struggled to find her own rhythm. Sabalenka next faces either Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova or Marta Kostyuk for a spot in the semifinals.

"I’m happy to be through this really tough opponent," Sabalenka said. “What an incredible player she is approaching the net. What a great returner: moving well, very brave. You could see how focused she was. It was really challenging playing her."

Playing his first tournament following a four-month absence because of a wrist injury, men's second-seeded Carlos Alcaraz looks to take his next step toward defending his title when he faces No. 20 Tommy Paul in the second match at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Alcaraz is on a 17-match Grand Slam winning streak and has dropped just one set through three rounds at the U.S. Open. He is 12-0 against U.S. men at majors.

Townsend and Paul were among the 10 Americans to reach the men’s and women’s round of 16. That is the most in the fourth round at any Grand Slam in nearly a quarter-century, dating to the 2002 U.S. Open, when there were 11.

The five U.S. men — Paul, Ben Shelton, Learner Tien, Frances Tiafoe and Alex Michelsen — are the most at a major since eight in 1995 at Flushing Meadows.

Tien played into early Sunday to beat Jakub Mensik in a five-set gem between a pair of emerging stars. At 20, Tien is the youngest American man in the U.S. Open fourth round since Andy Roddick in 2002.

Shelton, the No. 8 seed, faces Stefanos Tsitsipas on Sunday night at Ashe, followed by fellow American Emma Navarro against Anna Kalinskaya. Other fourth-round matches include Jessica Pegula versus Sorana Cirstea, Tiafoe versus Daniil Medvedev and Noskova vs. Kostyuk.

See AP’s full tennis coverage here

Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, serves the ball to Taylor Townsend, of the United States, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Taylor Townsend, of the United States, arrives for her match against Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, reacts as she competes against Taylor Townsend, of the United States, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, returns the ball to Taylor Townsend, of the United States, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Taylor Townsend, of the United States, right, arrives for her match against Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Taylor Townsend, of the United States, arrives for her match against Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, arrives for her match against Taylor Townsend, of the United States, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, arrives for her match against Taylor Townsend, of the United States, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Sunday renewed its appeal to the Supreme Court after a federal judge blocked new restrictions on mail ballots ahead of the midterms.

The filing came after U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani extended an order against the Postal Service enforcing President Donald Trump’s executive order for the November elections.

The legal wrangling comes even as states start sending out mail ballots, leaving the administration little time to make big changes in mail ballot rules.

“Ballots have already begun to be mailed in North Carolina, and more States will begin the mailing process as the injunction remains in place — including Alabama on September 9 and at least five States the week of September 13,” Solicitor General John Sauer said in the filing.

“Once those ballot envelopes enter the mailstream, there is no retrieving them. And while the injunction allows the Postal Service and the States to continue taking steps to ensure that their envelopes satisfy the Rule’s requirements ... each day the injunction is in place risks sowing confusion and chaos because the injunction makes those preparatory steps voluntary, rather than mandatory.”

The appeal marks the third time the administration has asked the high court to intervene. The high court has allowed the plan to move forward but not ruled on whether it is legal.

The battle could have major ramifications for this year’s elections, when control of Congress is at stake. Nearly one-third of voters in the U.S. cast mail ballots.

Democratic states and voting rights groups say the changes are unconstitutional. Election officials contend there isn’t enough time to revise their systems to comply with the new Postal Service directives.

The Trump administration has framed the restrictions as commonsense changes that are within its power to regulate the mail.

“Simply put, the best way to address respondents’ fears about inability to comply with the Rule is to grant an immediate administrative stay of the order, followed by a full stay pending further review,” Sauer said. “That will remove the improper cloud of uncertainty that the district court has cast over the Rule, making clear to all involved that compliance with the Rule is not optional and must start without further delay.”

The filing added that eligibility for mail-in and absentee voting will continue to be governed by state law and state and local officials will determine who is eligible to use the method and which ballots are eligible to be counted. “The Postal Service will not play any role in determining voter eligibility, maintaining voter rolls, or counting ballots.”

Trump has long sought to limit mail voting, even though he himself often uses that method to cast his own ballot. He has falsely blamed mail balloting for his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Bden, spreading baseless claims of fraud. But so far, he has been unable to change the longstanding voting procedure.

Wake County Board of Elections employees prepare absentee ballots to be mailed on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Ramey)

Wake County Board of Elections employees prepare absentee ballots to be mailed on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Ramey)

Olivia McCall, director of the Wake County Board of Elections, poses for a portrait on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Ramey)

FILE - Vote-by-mail ballots for the presidential primary election are seen on March 12, 2024, at the Clark County Elections Office in Vancouver, Wash. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)

Envelopes for mail-in ballots at the Wake County Board of Elections are seen on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Ramey)