Yulia Starodubtseva Advances at US Open with Dominant Win
Yulia Starodubtseva finally walked off a US Open court as a main-draw winner – and she did it with authority.
On a warm New York afternoon, the Ukrainian swept past Germany’s Ella Seidel 6-2, 6-2 in 1 hour 18 minutes, reaching the second round in Flushing Meadows for the first time in her career. Two previous trips to the main draw had ended at the first hurdle. This time, there was no hesitation, no nerves on show. Just clean, aggressive tennis.
Breaking a New York Barrier
Starodubtseva arrived in 2026 with history against her but a small edge in her pocket. She had faced Seidel once before and won that match in straight sets as well. The German came in ranked 123rd in the world, dangerous enough to punish any lapse, but she never got the foothold she needed.
From the opening games, Starodubtseva set the tone. She stepped inside the baseline, took the ball early, and broke for 3-1 in the first set. Seidel answered with a brief surge, pulling back to 3-2 and hinting at a contest.
That was as close as it got.
The Ukrainian shut the door with a ruthless three-game burst, ripping through the rest of the set to take it 6-2. The scoreboard reflected what the court already showed: Starodubtseva was dictating, Seidel was reacting.
No Let-Up in the Second
Any thought of a momentum shift vanished almost immediately after the changeover.
Starodubtseva came out for the second set with the same clarity and even more conviction. She raced to a 4-0 lead, converting two break points and smothering Seidel’s serve. The German tried to reset, to slow the pace, to stretch rallies, but the gap was already too wide.
Seidel did manage to steady herself enough to avoid a complete collapse, yet every time she hinted at a pushback, Starodubtseva answered. No panic, no rush, just measured control. The second set closed like the first: 6-2 to the Ukrainian, the match wrapped up with a calm hold that underlined how comfortable she looked in a situation that had previously undone her.
For a player who had twice left New York after just one match, this was a different story entirely.
A New Stage, A Bigger Test
The reward is more than a line in the record books. Starodubtseva now moves into the second round of a Grand Slam for the first time at the US Open, where the scale of the event and the noise of the city can overwhelm even seasoned pros.
Her next opponent will be the winner of the match between American Robin Montgomery and Greece’s Maria Sakkari. Two very different challenges: a home player feeding off the crowd, or a top-tier, battle-hardened competitor with deep Grand Slam experience. Either way, Starodubtseva has guaranteed herself at least one more night under the New York lights – and a genuine shot at a first-ever third round.
For her, this is already the most successful US Open of her career. Now the question is how far this run can stretch.
A Wider Ukrainian Story in New York
Starodubtseva’s breakthrough comes in the middle of a strong, if mixed, campaign for Ukrainian women in the draw.
She is one of seven Ukrainian players in the main field this year. Marta Kostyuk and Elina Svitolina have already joined her in the second round, both winning their openers and reinforcing the country’s growing presence at the top level.
Svitolina, Ukraine’s top-ranked player, set the tone on August 31 with a commanding win over Argentina’s Solana Sierra, the world No. 91, to book her own place in round two. Her performance underlined the standard the rest are chasing.
Not every story has been a happy one. For Dayana Yastremska and Daria Snigur, the tournament ended with first-round exits, their New York campaigns cut short before they could build any momentum. Oleksandra Oliynikova is still to open her account, set to face American Reese Brantmeier in her first-round match.
Against that backdrop, Starodubtseva’s clean, confident win stands out. It’s not just a personal milestone; it adds another thread to a broader narrative of Ukrainian resilience and rise on one of tennis’s biggest stages.
New York has already given her something it twice denied her: progress. Now comes the real test – can she turn a long-awaited first step into a genuine run at the year’s final Grand Slam?
