The 2026 US Open has arrived at its decisive stage, and the last eight in the women’s draw feature the top six players in the WTA Rankings, plus Emma Navarro and qualifier Zheng Qinwen.

Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff, Mirra Andreeva and Linda Noskova fill six of the quarter-final spots at Flushing Meadows, while Navarro and Zheng complete the lineup.

The title race is closely tied to the battle for No 1. Sabalenka, Rybakina, Pegula and Gauff all remain in contention for the top ranking, but they are not on equal terms. Rybakina needs only a semi-final run to move ahead of Sabalenka, while Sabalenka, Pegula and Gauff must win the tournament to have a chance.

Aryna Sabalenka (1) v Linda Noskova (6)

This match brings together the reigning US Open champion and the reigning Wimbledon champion. Sabalenka has already beaten Noskova twice, both times on hard courts, in Adelaide in 2023 and at this year’s Indian Wells Open. Noskova is still searching for her first set against her.

Jessica Pegula (3) v Emma Navarro (26)

Pegula also carries a strong record into her match, leading Navarro 4-0. Her recent North American swing has included a runner-up finish at the Washington DC Open, a round-of-16 result in Toronto and a loss to Coco Gauff in the Cincinnati Open final.

Mirra Andreeva (5) v Coco Gauff (4)

Gauff has won all five of their previous meetings. Four of those came on clay, with only one on hard court, at the 2023 US Open. Gauff has gone 14-1 on hard courts during the swing, while Andreeva is 7-2.

Zheng Qinwen (Q) v Elena Rybakina (2)

Rybakina arrives after a straight-sets win over Naomi Osaka and owns a 4-1 head-to-head lead over Zheng. Yet Zheng has built serious momentum, coming through qualifying and defeating Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek. She has now played seven matches, including three in qualifying, so fatigue could still matter.

If the predictions are correct, Sabalenka would meet Pegula and Gauff would face Zheng in the semi-finals.

The quarter-final bracket at the 2026 US Open is now complete, and it will not include Naomi Osaka or Iva Jovic after both were beaten convincingly in the fourth round.

Osaka, seeded 13th, had needed three sets in each of her previous two matches, but she found world No 2 Elena Rybakina far too strong. The second seed moved through 6-1, 6-4, ending Osaka’s run in straightforward fashion. Even so, the former world No 1 was measured in her assessment afterwards.

“Maybe I’m just getting older, but I don’t feel sad,” Osaka said. “I think, also, if I reflect on my career and the things that I’ve been able to do, there’s nothing that I regret or there’s nothing that I’m sad about … If I win another Grand Slam, it’s not going to change my life.”

Jovic also arrived in the round of 16 after a long battle in the previous round, needing three hours to get past Alex Eala. Against fourth seed Coco Gauff, the American could not repeat that resilience and fell by the same 6-1, 6-4 scoreline.

Gauff had warm words for her 18-year-old compatriot after the match, saying: “She plays beyond her years. I’m looking to many more battles out here.”

Both players still leave New York with ranking consequences. Osaka had been defending the semi-final points she earned 12 months ago, and because a fourth-round result is worth only 240 points, she drops 540 points from her tally and falls four places to No 17 in the Live WTA Rankings.

Jovic is also set to slide after losing points from multiple events, including her Guadalajara Open title defence from 2025. In total, she drops 281 points and moves down two places to No 16 in the Live WTA Rankings.

There is prize money to add as well. Osaka’s fourth-round showing is worth $480,000, lifting her 2026 earnings to $2,489,474 and her career total to $27,092,806 once the payment clears. Jovic’s run takes her to $3,515,036 in career prize money, with $1,909,288 earned in 2026.

Iga Swiatek’s difficult 2026 season reached another low point at the US Open, where Qinwen Zheng ended her run in the fourth round. Zheng won 7-5, 6-3, a result that confirms Swiatek will finish the year without a Grand Slam title for the first time since the 2021 season.

The defeat also underlined how rare a deep major run has been for the six-time Grand Slam champion this year. Swiatek has not reached a semi final at any major in 2026. Her Grand Slam results have been limited to fourth-round exits at the US Open and Roland Garros, a third-round loss at Wimbledon, and a quarter final showing at the Australian Open.

After the match, Swiatek gave a subdued press conference, but she made clear that she still expects to keep pushing through the closing stretch of the season. When asked about whether she might stop early to continue working with coach Francisco Roig, she replied: “I don’t intend to stop; I know I can improve my game. This second part of the season is better for me anyway.”

Swiatek has often produced her best tennis during the WTA Tour’s Asian swing, which may help explain her decision to remain on schedule through the end of the year. Her career titles in that part of the season include the Korea Open, the China Open, and the San Diego Open, all won between September and November.

She also lifted the WTA Finals in 2023 and will hope to find enough form to return to that event in 2026. The season-ending championship is being held at Indian Wells this year and is reserved for the top eight players in the race.

Swiatek is currently 10th in the standings, placing her outside the qualification spots. She sits behind Marta Kostyuk and Linda Noskova, with Noskova expected to qualify after her Wimbledon triumph. Two WTA 1000 events remain, the China Open and the Wuhan Open, so the picture can still change.

Swiatek will not play the Singapore Open, but she is entered for the China Open, which begins on September 30 and gives her more than three weeks before her next scheduled match.