---
title: "Starodubtseva Loses to Mertens in WTA 500 Monterrey Quarterfinal, Ending Her Run at the Tournament"
description: "Yulia Starodubtseva lost to second seed Elise Mertens in the WTA 500 Monterrey quarterfinal with a score of 1:6, 4:6, ending her run at the tournament. The Ukrainian's next stop will be the 2026 US Open."
date: 2026-08-28T07:00:04.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/starodubtseva-loses-to-mertens-in-wta-500-monterrey-quarterfinal
tags: [wta-500, monterrey, starodubtseva, mertens, tennis, us-open-2026]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Starodubtseva Loses to Mertens in WTA 500 Monterrey Quarterfinal, Ending Her Run at the Tournament

![Anastasia Starodubtseva on the court during the WTA 500 Monterrey quarterfinal match](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/28/starodubtseva-ustupila-mertens-v-chetvertfinale-wta-500-v-monterre/starodubtseva-ustupila-mertens-v-chetvertfinale-wta-500-v-monterre-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Starodubtseva lost to second seed Elise Mertens in the WTA 500 Monterrey quarterfinal — 1:6, 4:6.
- This is the Ukrainian's second WTA 500 quarterfinal of her career, following Charleston in April, where she reached the final.
- Her run in Mexico became Starodubtseva's best result since the clay-court part of the season, coming after six consecutive defeats.
- Her next tournament will be the 2026 US Open, where in the first round the Ukrainian will play Ella Seidel.

Ukrainian tennis player Yulia Starodubtseva failed to reach the semifinals of the WTA 500 tournament in Monterrey. In the quarterfinal match, she lost to the tournament's second seed, Belgium's Elise Mertens, with a score of 1:6, 4:6. The defeat ended Starodubtseva's run in Mexico at the quarterfinal stage.

### Match progression: the second seed's dominance

Mertens won the first set with overwhelming superiority. The Belgian immediately seized the initiative, made two breaks, and confidently took the set 6:1. In the second set, Starodubtseva managed to take an early lead, but in the fifth game Mertens converted a break and regained the advantage, which she held until the end of the match, closing the set 6:4.

### Second WTA 500 quarterfinal of her career

For the Ukrainian, this quarterfinal was her second at the WTA 500 level in her career. Starodubtseva first reached this stage in April at the tournament in Charleston, where she essentially exceeded expectations by making it to the final. Thus, Monterrey confirmed that the Ukrainian is capable of regularly competing with top opponents at the 500 level.

### Return to form after a losing streak

Starodubtseva arrived at the Monterrey tournament after a streak of six consecutive defeats, so her result in Mexico became her best achievement since the clay-court part of the season. This is an important signal that the Ukrainian tennis player managed to break the negative run and regain confidence ahead of the year's key hard-court stage.

### Ahead of the 2026 US Open

Starodubtseva's next tournament will be the US Open — the 2026 US Open. In the first round of the Grand Slam event, the Ukrainian is set to play Germany's Ella Seidel. In total, this season Starodubtseva has taken part in 22 tournaments, and her best result was a semifinal win and a run to the final in Charleston in April, where in the decisive match she lost to America's Madison Keys.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Starodubtseva suffers defeat in the Monterrey tournament quarterfinal](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/tennis/starodubtseva-zaznala-porazki-chvertfinali-1787900060.html) - Первичный источник: счёт 1:6, 4:6 в пользу Мертенс, два брейка в первом сете, брейк в пятом гейме второго сета, второй четвертьфинал WTA 500 в карьере, серия из шести поражений, следующий матч на US Open против Эллы Зайдель, 22 турнира в сезоне, финал в Чарльстоне против Мэдисон Киз.
- [Jani Chi - Yulia Starodubtseva](https://www.championat.com/tennis/_wta/tournament/80848/match/1545150/) - Подтверждено по источнику championat.com
- [Starodubtseva advances to the Monterrey quarterfinal](https://www.ua-football.com/sport/tennis/1787726363-starodubceva-probilas-v-chetvertfinal-monterrey.html) - Подтверждает выход Стародубцевой в четвертьфинал турнира в Монтеррее.
- [Starodubtseva's opponent in the Monterrey 500 quarterfinal determined](https://sport.ua/news/901633-opredelena-sopernitsa-starodubtsevoy-v-14-finala-pyatisotnika-v-monterree) - Подтверждает статус турнира как WTA 500 и соперницу в четвертьфинале.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: What was the score of Starodubtseva's loss to Mertens in Monterrey?
**A:** The match ended 1:6, 4:6 in favor of second seed Elise Mertens.

### Q: How many WTA 500 quarterfinals has Starodubtseva reached in her career?
**A:** This is her second. The first was in April at the tournament in Charleston, where she reached the final.

### Q: What will be Starodubtseva's next tournament?
**A:** The 2026 US Open, where in the first round she will play Germany's Ella Seidel.

### Q: What was Starodubtseva's best result this season?
**A:** The final of the tournament in Charleston in April, where in the decisive match she lost to America's Madison Keys.