--- title: "Steel Nerves: Starodubtseva Saved Three Match Points and Led Ukrainian Tennis to a Record at the 2026 US Open" description: "Yuliia Starodubtseva staged a comeback against Maria Sakkari at the 2026 US Open, saving three match points in the second set, and reached the third round for the first time. The Ukrainians repeated the tournament's national record." date: 2026-09-04T06:40:16.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/starodubtseva-comeback-us-open-2026-third-round tags: [us-open-2026, yulia-starodubtseva, maria-sakkari, tennis, ukraine-tennis, elena-rybakina] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Steel Nerves: Starodubtseva Saved Three Match Points and Led Ukrainian Tennis to a Record at the 2026 US Open ![Ukrainian tennis player Starodubtseva in a pink Nike outfit hits a two-handed backhand during a decisive point at US Open-2026](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/04/starodubtseva-kambyek-us-open-2026-tretiy-krug/starodubtseva-kambyek-us-open-2026-tretiy-krug-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - Starodubtseva (58th in the world) beat Sakkari (35th) 6:1, 6:7, 2:6, saving three match points in the second set. - This is the Ukrainian's first ever reach of the third round of the US Open and a repeat of her personal record at a Grand Slam. - The Ukrainians (Starodubtseva, Kostyuk, Svitolina) repeated the national record — three participants in the round of 16 of the US Open. - In the third round on September 5, Starodubtseva will play world No. 2 Elena Rybakina. 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. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [Starodubtseva secured a comeback victory: the Ukrainians repeated the record at the US Open (video)](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/tennis/starodubtseva-zdobula-volovu-peremogu-ukrayinki-1788503786.html) - Первичный источник: счёт 6:1, 6:7, 2:6, камбэк, повторение рекорда, соперница в 3-м круге — Рыбакина, матч 5 сентября. - [Starodubtseva beat Sakkari and reached the third round of the US Open](https://gazeta.ua/ru/articles/world-life/_starodubceva-pobedila-sakkari-i-vyshla-v-tretij-krug-us-open/1257966) - Подтверждает победу над Саккари и выход в третий круг турнира. - [Steel nerves! Starodubtseva saved a hopeless match against Sakkari](https://sport.ua/news/904069-stalnye-nervy-starodubtseva-spasla-beznadezhniy-match-protiv-sakkari) - Подтверждает характер волевого камбэка и спасение матча. - [A bright comeback. Starodubtseva won in the round of 32 of the US Open, but advancing to the next round is almost impossible](https://www.ua-football.com/sport/tennis/1788492274-yarkiy-kambyek-starodubceva-pobedila-v-1-32-us-open-no-proyti-sleduyuschiy-raund-pochti-nerealno.html) - Подтверждает камбэк в 1/32 финала; отмечает фаворитизм Рыбакиной в следующем раунде. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: What was the final score of the Starodubtseva — Sakkari match at the 2026 US Open? **A:** Yuliia Starodubtseva beat Maria Sakkari 6:1, 6:7, 2:6, saving three match points in the second set and winning the tiebreak 7:4. ### Q: Is this the first time Starodubtseva has reached the third round of the US Open? **A:** Yes, this is the Ukrainian's first ever reach of the third round of the US Open in her career. At the same time, she has already played at the round of 16 stage twice at Roland Garros (2025, 2026). ### Q: Who will be Starodubtseva's opponent in the third round and when is the match? **A:** In the third round of the US Open, Starodubtseva will play world No. 2 Elena Rybakina. The match is scheduled for Saturday, September 5, 2026. ### Q: What record did the Ukrainian tennis players repeat at the 2026 US Open? **A:** Starodubtseva, Kostyuk and Svitolina became three Ukrainians in the round of 16, repeating the national record set in 2016 by Svitolina, Volodko (Bondarenko) and Tsurenko.