Yulia Starodubtseva Breaks Through at US Open

Yulia Starodubtseva finally has her New York breakthrough.

On her third visit to the US Open main draw, the Ukrainian tore past Germany’s Ella Seidel 6-2, 6-2 in the first round, stepping over a barrier that had twice tripped her at the very first hurdle. This time, she walked off Louis Armstrong–style: head high, job done, tournament truly started.

A Different Starodubtseva

Same stage, same stakes, but a very different script.

Starodubtseva arrived in New York having never won a main-draw match at the American Grand Slam. Her previous two appearances, in 2024 and 2025, ended with first-round exits. She had once battled through qualifying just to get here, only to see the main draw swallow her in a single match.

On Monday, that history didn’t weigh on her. She ripped through it.

Facing Seidel for the second time in her career, Starodubtseva leaned on the memory of their previous meeting, another straight-sets win. The German, ranked 123rd in the world at the time of this match, knew what was coming. She still couldn’t stop it.

Control From the First Break

The tone of the afternoon was set early.

Starodubtseva came out swinging in the first set, taking the ball early, stepping into returns, forcing Seidel to defend from the corners. At 2–1, the Ukrainian earned her first break of serve, and with it, the first real grip on the match.

Seidel hit back immediately, breaking to close the gap to 2–3 and suggesting a contest might be brewing. It wasn’t. That was as close as she would get.

The response from Starodubtseva was ruthless. She locked in, tightened her patterns, and swept through the next three games in a row. Seidel had no time to reset, no space to breathe. The set was gone 6–2, and it felt decisive.

No Let-Up in the Second

If there were any nerves about closing out her first US Open main-draw win, they didn’t show.

Starodubtseva stormed through the opening games of the second set, racing to a 4–0 lead and snatching two more breaks of serve. Her aggression stayed measured, her court positioning bold. Seidel tried to disrupt the rhythm, tried to drag the rallies longer, tried anything to pull the Ukrainian into a scrap.

Starodubtseva never allowed it. She guarded her lead, refused to let the scoreline tighten to anything resembling danger, and kept the match on her terms.

Another 6–2 set, another straight-sets victory over Seidel, this one sealed in 1 hour and 18 minutes. A clean, commanding performance, and the first step into new territory.

Second Round at Last – and a Bigger Test Looms

For the first time in her career, Starodubtseva is into the second round of the US Open. The reward is clarity: she belongs at this level, and now she has the platform to prove it again.

Her next opponent will be the winner of the match between American Robin Montgomery and Greece’s Maria Sakkari. Very different challenges, either way. A home favorite with the crowd at her back, or a seasoned top-tier competitor with deep Grand Slam experience.

What’s certain is that Starodubtseva has guaranteed herself at least one more night under the New York lights — and a genuine shot at the third round of a major for the first time.

A Wider Ukrainian Story in New York

Her win folds into a broader, quietly powerful narrative at this year’s US Open: the presence and persistence of Ukrainian tennis.

Seven Ukrainian women reached the main draw in 2026. Marta Kostyuk and Elina Svitolina have already joined Starodubtseva in the second round, each winning their opening matches. Svitolina, the country’s top-ranked player, set the tone on August 31 with a confident victory over Argentina’s Solana Sierra, the world No. 91, to book her own place in round two.

Not all stories ran long. For Dayana Yastremska and Daria Snigur, the tournament ended at the first step. Oleksandra Oliynikova is still waiting to begin, set to face American Reese Brantmeier in her opener.

Amid that mixed picture, Starodubtseva’s run already stands as the best US Open of her career. The first win is in the bank. The nerves of the opening round are gone. The city, the courts, the noise — all of it feels a little more familiar now.

The question is no longer whether she can win at the US Open.

It’s how far this new version of Yulia Starodubtseva can go.