Ukraine's No. 6 and 58th in the world, Yuliia Starodubtseva, continues her sensational run on the New York courts. In the second round of the 2026 US Open, the Ukrainian played one of the tournament's most dramatic matches, staging a comeback against the renowned Maria Sakkari (Greece, 35th in the world) and reaching the third round of an American "major" for the first time in her career. The final score of the match — 6:1, 6:7, 2:6 in Starodubtseva's favor — only on the surface reflects how much nerve and character this victory cost her.
Match progression: from hopelessness to saving three match points
The first set went under the full dictate of the Greek: after an even start (1:1), Sakkari won five games in a row and closed the set on her serve — 6:1. In the second set the picture sharply shifted in the Ukrainian's favor, who led 4:1. However, Sakkari answered with four games in a row and, at 5:4, came to serve for the match. It was precisely at this moment that Starodubtseva demonstrated outstanding composure: she saved three match points, leveled the score, and pushed the set to a tiebreak, where she took the lead 7:4. In the decisive third set, the Ukrainian gained an undisputed advantage and, despite a medical timeout due to muscle cramps at 5:2, confidently took the set to 6:2.
Repeating her personal record at a Grand Slam
Reaching the third round of the US Open was a personal breakthrough for Starodubtseva: she had never previously gone beyond the second round at this tournament. At the same time, this new mark matches her overall maximum at Grand Slam tournaments — the Ukrainian had already reached the round of 16 twice at Roland Garros (in 2025 and 2026). Thus, New York became her third "Slam" event where she made it to the round of 16.
National record: three Ukrainians in the round of 16
The victory over Sakkari also had collective significance for Ukrainian tennis. Starodubtseva became the third representative of Ukraine in the third round of the 2026 US Open, joining Marta Kostyuk and Elina Svitolina. In doing so, the Ukrainian tennis players repeated the national record for the number of participants in the round of 16 of the American "major": in 2016, Elina Svitolina, Kateryna Volodko (Bondarenko) and Lesia Tsurenko played at this stage.
What's next: a clash with the world No. 1
In the third round of the US Open, Starodubtseva is set to face, perhaps, the toughest opponent of her career — world No. 2 Elena Rybakina. The match is scheduled for Saturday, September 5, 2026. Experts and bookmakers unanimously favor the Kazakh, but the very fact that the Ukrainian has reached this round has already become the main storyline of her tournament run.
