Yulia Starodubtseva, ranked sixth in Ukraine and 58th in the world, made a successful start at the US Open. In the first round of US Open-2026, she comfortably defeated Germany's Ella Zaidel 6-2, 6-2, as reported by Sport RBC.UA. For the Ukrainian, this is her first-ever win in the main draw of an American Grand Slam, which allowed her to advance to the second round of the tournament.

Match Progress and Weather Setbacks

The match between Starodubtseva and Zaidel took place on September 1 on Court 13 in New York. The start of the encounter was postponed several times due to rain, and the players took to the court almost four hours later than originally scheduled. Despite the long wait, the Ukrainian immediately seized the initiative, confidently controlled the flow of the match and did not allow her opponent to impose her own game. The match ended in a two-set victory for Yulia — 6-2, 6-2 — and lasted 1 hour and 17 minutes.

Head-to-Head History and Previous Appearances

Before this, Starodubtseva had appeared in the US Open main draw twice — in 2024 and 2025 — and both times she ended her run after the first match. On one other occasion, Yulia failed to get through qualifying. The match against Zaidel was the second head-to-head meeting between the two players: their first encounter took place in 2024 at a tournament in Portugal, where the Ukrainian also won. Thus, Starodubtseva has maintained a 100% record in their head-to-head meetings.

What Comes Next and the Situation for the Ukrainians at the Tournament

In the second round of US Open-2026, Starodubtseva is set to face the winner of the match between 32nd seed Maria Sakkari of Greece and American Robin Montgomery, who made it into the main draw through qualifying. After the first round, Starodubtseva became the third Ukrainian to reach the second round of the tournament: Elina Svitolina and Marta Kostyuk had earlier won their opening matches. Meanwhile, Daria Yastremska, Angelina Kalinina and Daria Snigur lost their first-round matches, and on the night of September 2, Oleksandra Oliinykova will play her opening match.