Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva (world No. 84) advanced to the second round of the 2026 US Open, securing a come-from-behind victory over world No. 12 Belinda Bencic of Switzerland with a score of 4:6, 7:5, 6:3, according to infohub.kz.

The match lasted 2 hours and 51 minutes. Bencic took the first set 6:4, but Putintseva turned the tide in the second set, winning a lengthy set 7:5 to force a decider.

In the third set, Putintseva kept the momentum, breaking serve at a crucial moment and closing out the match 6:3, eliminating one of the seeded players in the first round.

One of the key advantages for the Kazakh was her more consistent serving. Putintseva fired six aces, while Bencic had none. The Swiss player also committed nine double faults compared to Putintseva's four.

In winners, the two were close, with Putintseva leading 37:31. However, Putintseva made 37 unforced errors to Bencic's 43. The total points won were 106:95 in favor of Putintseva.

In the second round, Putintseva will face China's Zheng Qinwen (ranked 121), who came through qualifying. In the first round, Zheng rallied from a set down to defeat Kristina Lutova (125) 4:6, 6:3, 6:1.

Earlier, Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina and Alexander Bublik also advanced to the second round of the US Open 2026. Rybakina defeated American Thea Froding 6:3, 6:2, while Bublik overcame Jeffrey John Wolf 6:4, 6:2, 3:6, 6:1. Alexander Shevchenko exited after a five-set loss to Dino Prižmić.

The US Open is an annual Grand Slam tennis tournament played on hard courts. It is the last of the four majors in the calendar year.

For the second consecutive year, the US Open, which was first held in August 1881, starts a week earlier due to the mixed doubles event being moved. The total prize money of $108 million is a record for the majors.

Since 1978, matches have been held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.

The defending men's champion is Spain's Carlos Alcaraz (3), who defeated Jannik Sinner in last year's final 6:2, 3:6, 6:1, 6:4. Notably, the Italian, world No. 1, withdrew from the 2026 US Open due to a knee injury.

In women's singles, the 2025 champion was Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka. In the final, she defeated Amanda Anisimova of the USA 6:3, 7:6 (7:3).