---
title: "Starodubtseva Reaches US Open 2026 Round of 16: Ukrainian Gives World No. 2 Rybakina a Tough Fight"
description: "Yuliia Starodubtseva ended her US Open 2026 campaign in the third round, losing to world No. 2 Elena Rybakina. For the Ukrainian, this is a personal best at the American major."
date: 2026-09-06T07:46:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/starodubtseva-rybakina-us-open-2026
tags: [us-open-2026, tennis, yulia-starodubtseva, elena-rybakina, ukraine-tennis]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Starodubtseva Reaches US Open 2026 Round of 16: Ukrainian Gives World No. 2 Rybakina a Tough Fight

![Ukrainian tennis player Anna Strodubtseva adjusts her visor during her 1/16 final match at US Open 2026 against Elena Rybakina](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/06/starodubtseva-rybakina-us-open-2026/starodubtseva-rybakina-us-open-2026-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Starodubtseva (6th in Ukraine, 58th in the world) lost to Rybakina (world No. 2) in the third round of US Open 2026 with a score of 6:7, 3:6.
- Reaching the Round of 16 became the Ukrainian's personal best at the US Open and replicates her best result at Grand Slam tournaments.
- In the US Open 2026 singles draw, only Marta Kostyuk remains from Ukraine; she will play in the quarterfinals on September 6 against Linda Noskova.

Yuliia Starodubtseva, ranked sixth in Ukraine and 58th in the world, has concluded her campaign at the 2026 US Open. In the third round, she put up a worthy fight against Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina, the world No. 2, losing in two sets — 6:7, 3:6. This is reported by [Sport RBC.UA](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/tennis/starodubtseva-zarubilasya-drugoyu-raketkoyu-1788680543.html), citing the match result.

### Path to a Personal Best at the American Major

For Starodubtseva, this match marked her first-ever entry into the Round of 16 at the US Open. Previously at the American "major," the Ukrainian tennis player had not advanced beyond the first round, so the current result is officially recorded as her personal best at the tournament. Moreover, reaching the third round replicates her best achievement at Grand Slam events, which she had previously reached at Roland Garros in 2025 and 2026.

### First Set: Break at 4:4 and a Missed Set Point

The Ukrainian started the set confidently, held her own serve for a long time, and at 4:4 took advantage of a dip in her opponent's game to complete a break. However, Starodubtseva failed to serve out the set — Rybakina returned the break on her fourth attempt. The fate of the set was decided in a tiebreak: Starodubtseva reached set point first (6:5), but the Kazakh won three consecutive points and closed the set 8:6.

### Second Set: Pressure from the World No. 2

The second set began with sustained pressure from Rybakina, who quickly made two breaks and took a 4:1 lead. Starodubtseva managed to narrow the gap to a minimum by winning back one of her opponent's serves, but she could not level the score. In the ninth game, the world No. 2 converted her first match point to end the match — 6:3.

### Ukraine's Overall Performance at US Open 2026

Despite the defeat, Starodubtseva finishes the tournament with a personal best at the American major. In the singles draw of the US Open, Marta Kostyuk remains the sole representative of Ukraine; she will play in the quarterfinals on September 6 against Czech player Linda Noskova. On the eve of the US Open 2026, Ukraine's top-ranked player — Elina Svitolina — also concluded her campaign.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Starodubtseva Fought the World No. 2 in a Tense US Open 2026 Match (Video)](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/tennis/starodubtseva-zarubilasya-drugoyu-raketkoyu-1788680543.html) - Подтверждает счёт 6:7, 3:6, детали тай-брейка и брейков, личный рекорд украинки.
- [Video Review of the Rybakina — Starodubtseva Match at US Open 2026](https://prosports.kz/news/753859-ribakina-—-starodubtseva-video-klyuchevih-momentov-matcha-us-open-2026/) - Подтверждает факт матча в третьем круге с казахстанской стороны.
- [Starodubtseva Loses to World No. 2 Rybakina in the Third Round of US Open — Video](https://sport.nv.ua/tennis/us-open-2026-yuliya-starodubceva-ustupila-elene-rybakinoy-v-tretem-kruge-video-obzor-50638893.html) - Независимо подтверждает исход матча и круг турнира.
- [Mirra's Future Opponent Is Cursed for an Offensive Gesture. Potapova Has Problems at US Open — ...](https://www.sport-express.ru/tennis/grand-slam/reviews/anastasiya-potapova-amanda-anisimova-elena-rybakina-yuliya-starodubceva-rezultaty-i-obzor-matchey-tretego-kruga-us-open-5-6-sentyabrya-2026-2452934/) - Подтверждает контекст третьего круга US Open-2026 и дату проведения.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: What was the score of Starodubtseva's loss to Rybakina at US Open 2026?
**A:** Yuliia Starodubtseva lost to Elena Rybakina 6:7, 3:6 in the third-round match.

### Q: What result did Starodubtseva achieve at the US Open?
**A:** Reaching the Round of 16 (third round) became her personal best at the American major and replicates her best result at Grand Slam tournaments.

### Q: Who else represents Ukraine in the US Open 2026 singles draw?
**A:** Marta Kostyuk remains the sole Ukrainian representative in the singles draw; she plays in the quarterfinals on September 6 against Linda Noskova.