Ukrainian tennis player Starodubtseva reaches US Open third round after stunning comeback
Yuliia Starodubtseva (photo: Getty Images)
Ukraine’s No. 6 and world No. 58 Yuliia Starodubtseva continues to impress on the courts in New York. In a thrilling second-round match at the 2026 US Open, she produced an incredible comeback against a high-profile opponent to advance to the next round.
US Open 2026. Second round
Maria Sakkari (Greece) – Yuliia Starodubtseva (Ukraine) – 6-1, 6-7, 2-6
Incredible comeback by the Ukrainian
Starodubtseva faced world No. 35 Maria Sakkari of Greece. The opponents started the match evenly, but after the score reached 1-1, the Greek tennis player won five games in a row and took the first set 6-1.
In the second set, the Ukrainian tennis player took a 4-1 lead. However, Sakkari won the next four games in a row and came out to serve for the match at 5-4. Starodubtseva showed great composure, saved three match points, leveled the score, and took the game to a tiebreak, where she eventually won 7-4.
In the decisive third set, the Ukrainian took complete control. At 5-2, Yuliia took a medical timeout due to muscle cramps, but despite the issue, she successfully closed out the set 6-2.
Matching the Ukrainian record
The victory saw Starodubtseva reach the third round of the US Open for the first time in her career. It also matches her best-ever Grand Slam result: she has already reached the same stage twice at the French Open (2025, 2026).
In the third round of the US Open, Starodubtseva will face world No. 2 Elena Rybakina. The match will take place on Saturday, September 5.
In addition, Starodubtseva became the third Ukrainian player to reach the third round of this year’s US Open, joining Marta Kostyuk and Elina Svitolina.
As a result, Ukrainian tennis players have matched the national record for the number of representatives in the round of 32 at the US Open. In 2016, Elina Svitolina, Kateryna Volodko (Bondarenko), and Lesia Tsurenko reached this stage.
