Efficient Rybakina reaches US Open third round

Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, advanced to the third round of the US Open on Thursday, defeating Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-2, 6-4. The Kazakh player dominated most of the match with powerful ground strokes and powerful serves, which the Spanish player struggled to cope with. Rybakina moved well and was not affected by a left heel injury that had raised concerns about her tournament prospects.

Rybakina broke serve while serving for the match at 5-3, but quickly broke back to win the match in under an hour. Rybakina expressed her happiness and pride in her strong play over the two rounds despite her imperfect preparation. The 2026 Australian Open champion had been performing well in the US Open warmup tournaments, reaching the final in Toronto and winning matches in Cincinnati.

However, she was forced to withdraw from the latter event in the quarter-finals due to an injury that had left her in doubt heading into the tournament. Now, Rybakina needs just three more wins to reach the semi-finals and overtake Aryna Sabalenka at the top of the world rankings. Her best performance at the US Open was in 2025, where she lost in the fourth round to Marketa Vondrousova.

Rybakina will be seeking revenge against Ukrainian Yuliia Starodubtseva, who defeated Maria Sakkari 1-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 in their second-round match.