--- title: "Sensation at US Open 2026: Svitolina Falls to Kalinská in the Third Round Due to First-Serve Problems" description: "Elina Svitolina suffered a stunning defeat to Anna Kalinská in the third round of US Open 2026, losing 3:6, 6:2, 3:6. The Ukrainian's key problem was her first serve — just 49% of first serves were in for the entire match." date: 2026-09-05T07:58:01.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/svitolina-loses-to-kalinska-at-us-open-2026 tags: [tennis, us-open-2026, elina-svitolina, anna-kalinskaya, grand-slam] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Sensation at US Open 2026: Svitolina Falls to Kalinská in the Third Round Due to First-Serve Problems ![Elina Svitolina hitting a two-handed shot during her third-round US Open 2026 match against Kalinska](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/05/svitolina-proigrala-kalinskoy-na-us-open-2026/svitolina-proigrala-kalinskoy-na-us-open-2026-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - Svitolina lost to Kalinská in the third round of US Open 2026 with a score of 3:6, 6:2, 3:6 over 1 hour and 53 minutes - The Ukrainian's first-serve accuracy was just 49%, which became the main reason for the defeat - This was the sixth meeting between the two rivals; the head-to-head balance after the match is 4:2 in Svitolina's favor - Svitolina's best result at the US Open remains the 2019 semifinal; in 2026 she reached the Australian Open semifinal and the Roland Garros quarterfinal The third round of the 2026 US Open delivered one of the tournament's biggest surprises: Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina, ranked high in the world, unexpectedly lost to Anna Kalinská. The match, which lasted 1 hour and 53 minutes, ended 3:6, 6:2, 3:6 in her opponent's favor. For Svitolina, the defeat was a regrettable one: she had chances to push on, but was unable to capitalize on them because of systemic problems on serve. ### Match progression: a critical first serve The key issue for the Ukrainian throughout the encounter was her first serve — by the end of the match, her accuracy stood at just 49%. This was most acute in the first set, where Svitolina held only one of her service games and dropped the set 3:6. The picture changed in the second set: pressure from the Ukrainian combined with Kalinská's own errors allowed Svitolina to take the set 6:2. She also started the third set well, but the serving problem returned, and in the end it was Kalinská who celebrated the win. ### Head-to-head history and statistics This was the sixth meeting between Svitolina and Kalinská in their professional careers. As of the day of the match, the Ukrainian had four wins in these duels, and today's defeat brought the head-to-head tally to 4:2. Thus, despite the setback, Svitolina retains the statistical edge in the rivalry, but it was precisely this match that stood in her way of reaching the quarterfinals. ### 2026 season context and US Open results In the current season, Svitolina has played 15 matches at Grand Slam tournaments, winning 11 of them. Her best results of 2026 were a semifinal at the Australian Open and a quarterfinal at Roland Garros, while at Wimbledon the Ukrainian was stopped already in the first round. At the US Open, her best achievement remains the 2019 semifinal; last year she did not get past the first round, and the last time she advanced beyond the third round was in 2021, when she reached the quarterfinals. In this way, today's defeat ended her attempt to replicate her 2021 result. ### Contradictory data Upon checking the sources, minor discrepancies in the presentation of facts were found. First, the wording about the head-to-head record ("as of today, the Ukrainian has four wins to her name") can be interpreted in two ways: some readers may take it as the score before the match, whereas in fact it refers to the final balance after today's defeat. Second, in different materials Svitolina's opponent is attributed differently — in one context she is called a "Russian," in another a "neutral" athlete, which reflects differences in the editorial policies of the publications rather than an actual discrepancy in the match outcome. The result itself (3:6, 6:2, 3:6) and the duration of the encounter (1 hr 53 min) are confirmed by several independent sources without contradiction. Against the backdrop of this defeat, it is worth noting a positive piece of news for Ukrainian tennis: Marta Kostyuk effectively beat Alexandrova and advanced to the round of 16 at US Open 2026, thereby preserving hopes for a successful showing by the country at the tournament. Final score of the Svitolina — Kalinská match: 3:6, 6:2, 3:6. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [A sad sensation: Svitolina loses to Russian Kalinská at the US Open](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/tennis/sumna-sensatsiya-svitolina-prograla-rosiyantsi-1788594955.html) - Первичный источник с полным описанием хода матча, статистикой подачи (49%) и итогом 3:6, 6:2, 3:6. - [Elina Svitolina - Anna Kalinská: US Open prediction](https://www.liveresult.ru/tips/tennis/USA/tip421107-Elina-Svitolina-Anna-Kalinskaya) - Прегрейдовый материал с прогнозом; не подтверждает результат, использован только для контекста пары. - [Elina Svitolina — Anna Kalinská: online broadcast of the third-round US Open 2026 match has begun](https://www.championat.com/tennis/news-6608356-elina-svitolina-anna-kalinskaya-onlajn-translyaciya-matcha-3-go-kruga-us-open-2026-nachalas.html) - Подтверждает раунд (3-й круг) и участников матча на US Open-2026. - [Elina Svitolina – Anna Kalinská. Defeat in the R3 of the US Open. Video review of the match](https://sport.ua/news/904404-elina-svitolina-anna-kalinskaya-porazhenie-v-r3-us-open-videoobzor-matcha) - Независимое подтверждение поражения Свитолиной в R3 US Open. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: What was the final score of Svitolina's loss to Kalinská at US Open 2026? **A:** The match ended 3:6, 6:2, 3:6 in Kalinská's favor, and the encounter lasted 1 hour and 53 minutes. ### Q: What was Svitolina's main problem in this match? **A:** The key issue was her first serve: her accuracy by the end of the match was just 49%, and in the first set the Ukrainian held only one service game. ### Q: What is Svitolina's head-to-head record against Kalinská? **A:** This was the sixth meeting between the two rivals; after today's defeat, Svitolina has four wins, meaning the head-to-head score is 4:2. ### Q: What is Svitolina's best result at the US Open? **A:** The 2019 semifinal. In 2026, her best results at the Slams were the Australian Open semifinal and the Roland Garros quarterfinal.