--- title: "Starodubtseva Reaches US Open Second Round for the First Time in Her Career, Crushing Zaidel" description: "Yulia Starodubtseva has reached the US Open second round for the first time in her career, beating Ella Zaidel 6-2, 6-2. The match on Court 13 in New York lasted 1 hour and 17 minutes." date: 2026-09-01T20:32:03.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/starodubtseva-reaches-us-open-second-round-for-first-time-in-career tags: [us-open-2026, tennis, yulia-starodubtseva, ukraine-tennis, ella-seidel] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Starodubtseva Reaches US Open Second Round for the First Time in Her Career, Crushing Zaidel ![Maria Strodubtseva celebrates victory at US Open](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/01/starodubtseva-vpervye-v-karere-vyshla-vo-vtoroy-krug-us-open/starodubtseva-vpervye-v-karere-vyshla-vo-vtoroy-krug-us-open-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - Starodubtseva (world No. 58) beat Ella Zaidel 6-2, 6-2 in the first round of US Open-2026 - This is the Ukrainian's first win in the US Open main draw in her career - The match on Court 13 started with a delay of about four hours due to rain and lasted 1 hour and 17 minutes - Starodubtseva became the third Ukrainian in the second round after Svitolina and Kostyuk - Her next opponent will be the winner of the Sakkari–Montgomery match 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](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/tennis/starodubtseva-vpershe-kar-eri-viyshla-druge-1788294531.html). 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. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [Starodubtseva Reaches US Open Second Round for the First Time in Her Career](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/tennis/starodubtseva-vpershe-kar-eri-viyshla-druge-1788294531.html) - Счет 6:2, 6:2; первая победа в основной сетке US Open; выход во второй круг. - [Yulia Starodubtseva – Ella Zaidel. A Crushing Start at the US Open. Video Review](https://sport.ua/news/903456-yuliya-starodubtseva-ella-zaydel-razgrom-na-starte-us-open-videoobzor) - Подтверждает уверенную победу и счет матча в первом круге. - [Two Sets at 6-2: Starodubtseva Secures a Confident Win in the First Round of US Open — 2026](https://sport.nv.ua/tennis/yuliya-starodubceva-pobezhdaet-ellu-zaydel-uspeshnyy-start-na-us-open-2026-50637686.html) - Совпадает по счету, дате (1 сентября) и контексту старта турнира. - [At US Open 2026, Starodubtseva Starts with a Win for the First Time in Her Career](https://korrespondent.net/sport/tenis/4908156-na-US-Open-2026-starodubtseva-startovala-s-pobedy-vpervye-v-karere) - Подтверждает статус первой победы в карьере на US Open. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: What was the score of Starodubtseva's win over Zaidel at US Open-2026? **A:** The match ended 6-2, 6-2 in favor of Yulia Starodubtseva and lasted 1 hour and 17 minutes. ### Q: Is this Starodubtseva's first win in the US Open main draw? **A:** Yes, this is her first-ever win in the main draw of an American Grand Slam. Previously, in 2024 and 2025, she lost in her first match. ### Q: Who will be Starodubtseva's next opponent? **A:** The winner of the match between 32nd seed Maria Sakkari of Greece and American Robin Montgomery, who came through qualifying. ### Q: How many Ukrainians have reached the second round of US Open-2026? **A:** Three: Elina Svitolina, Marta Kostyuk and Yulia Starodubtseva.