Eala Dominates as Rybakina and Gauff Advance | US Open 2026 Day 3 Roundup
US Open 2026 Day 3 Roundup
Alexandra Eala delivered a commanding performance under the Louis Armstrong Stadium lights, defeating American qualifier Mary Stoiana 6–1, 6–2 to reach the US Open second round for the second consecutive year.
Elena Rybakina began her pursuit of the world No. 1 ranking with a controlled victory over Thea Frodin, while Coco Gauff, Mirra Andreeva and Madison Keys also progressed in straight sets.
The leading contenders survived, but No. 12 seed Belinda Bencic did not. Yulia Putintseva recovered from a set down to produce the most consequential upset of a rain-affected Day 3.
Eala Controls the Armstrong Spotlight
No. 17 seed Alexandra Eala defeated Stoiana 6–1, 6–2 in one hour and 17 minutes.
Playing before a packed Louis Armstrong Stadium crowd, Eala faced immediate pressure. Stoiana earned two break points during the opening game, presenting the Filipino with an early test before she had fully settled into the occasion.
Eala saved both and rapidly took control.
She opened a 5–0 lead before Stoiana finally held serve. Eala then responded with a love hold to complete the first set.
The second set followed a less straightforward route than the scoreline suggests. Stoiana earned further break opportunities during Eala’s opening two service games, but the seeded player again refused to surrender her serve.
Eala broke for a 3–2 advantage and did not lose another game.
She converted four of her eight break-point opportunities while saving all six she faced. That statistic provides the clearest explanation for the one-sided score: Stoiana repeatedly reached potentially significant moments, but Eala won every one of them.
The result moves Eala into the second round for a second consecutive year. In 2025, she defeated Clara Tauson in the opening round before losing her next match. She has now equalled that run and will have an opportunity to establish a new personal best at the tournament.
More importantly, the victory showed how much her position has changed.
Last year, Eala arrived as an unseeded player creating history with every breakthrough. This time, she entered as the clear favourite and handled the expectation accordingly. Official WTA match report
Watch: Official US Open highlights — Stoina vs Eala
Oliynykova Awaits Eala in the Second Round
Eala will next face Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova, who defeated American wild card Reese Brantmeier 6–4, 6–4.
The matchup gives Eala another opportunity to advance without immediately encountering a seeded opponent. Her No. 17 position protects her from another seed until at least the third round.
That does not make Oliynykova a routine assignment.
The Ukrainian possesses an unconventional game and has earned several notable results during her rise through the rankings. She will also enter without the expectations attached to Eala’s position.
Eala’s performance against Stoiana offers a useful foundation. She remained composed when facing break points, controlled the scoreboard once she established an advantage and avoided allowing the crowd or occasion to create unnecessary complications.
If Eala advances, she could face No. 14 seed and close friend Iva Jovic in the third round.
That prospective meeting should not overshadow the immediate task. Oliynykova has already demonstrated that she can remove an American opponent in straight sets and will arrive with nothing to lose.
Rybakina Begins No. 1 Chase Without Showing Injury Concerns
Elena Rybakina defeated 17-year-old American wild card Thea Frodin 6–3, 6–2.
The No. 2 seed entered with questions surrounding the ankle injury that forced her to retire during Cincinnati. Her opening performance provided no visible evidence that the problem remains a significant limitation.
Rybakina faced only two break points and saved both. She broke Frodin three times and maintained the controlled first-strike tennis expected from one of the tournament favourites.
Frodin nevertheless offered several glimpses of her potential.
The teenager struck 11 aces—five during one remarkable late service game—and produced a fastest serve of 122 mph. That was faster than Rybakina’s highest recorded delivery of 120 mph.
Her power was accompanied by the inconsistency expected from a player contesting her first tour-level main draw. Twenty-one unforced errors and three costly second-set double faults allowed Rybakina to establish the separation.
The Australian Open champion remained calm even when Frodin saved three consecutive match points with aces. Rybakina served out the match in the following game, closing it with an ace of her own.
Her ranking objective remains unchanged: reaching the semifinals would guarantee that she becomes world No. 1 regardless of Sabalenka’s result.
Rybakina will next face Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, who defeated Darja Vidmanova 6–3, 6–4. Official WTA match report
Watch: Official US Open highlights — Frodin vs Rybakina
Gauff Produces Clutch Serving Performance
Coco Gauff opened her campaign by defeating Zeynep Sonmez 6–3, 6–4 on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The scoreline appears comfortable, but the match contained one moment capable of changing its direction.
With the second set level at 3–3, Gauff survived a nine-minute service game featuring six deuces and three break points. Sonmez had an opportunity to create scoreboard pressure, but the No. 4 seed produced her best serving when the game demanded it.
Gauff held, broke in the following game and protected the advantage through the finish.
That sequence was particularly meaningful because her serve has frequently been the most scrutinized part of her game. On this occasion, it became the shot that carried her through the most difficult passage.
Gauff completed the victory in one hour and 20 minutes. She has now won seven of her eight US Open opening matches and recorded 81 Grand Slam victories since the beginning of 2020—behind only Swiatek and Sabalenka during that period.
The American remains mathematically capable of finishing the tournament as world No. 1, although her route requires winning the title and receiving help from Rybakina’s result.
Her first objective was considerably simpler: avoid an early complication under the Ashe lights. She accomplished it without surrendering a set. Official WTA match report
Watch: Official US Open highlights — Sonmez vs Gauff
Andreeva Dismantles Dangerous Tjen
Mirra Andreeva defeated Janice Tjen 6–2, 6–2 in only 64 minutes.
The No. 5 seed produced one of the most convincing performances of Day 3 against an opponent who had pushed her considerably harder in Cincinnati two weeks earlier.
That previous meeting required more than three hours and six match points before Andreeva survived. Their New York encounter looked entirely different.
Andreeva played with greater aggression and prevented Tjen from establishing the patterns that made their first match so difficult. Her power and precision consistently pushed the Indonesian behind the baseline.
The French Open champion has been trying to manage the expectations created by winning her first major at 19. Her opening US Open performance suggested that the additional attention has not prevented her from focusing on the immediate match.
Andreeva will next face Germany’s Eva Lys, who defeated qualifier Gabriela Knutson 6–3, 6–3.
The victory keeps Andreeva on course for a possible quarterfinal against Gauff, but her immediate route should not be overlooked. Lys has enough ball-striking ability to punish any decline in Andreeva’s level. Reuters match report
Watch: Official US Open highlights — Andreeva vs Tjen
Keys Handles Korneeva in Straight Sets
Madison Keys defeated Alina Korneeva 7–5, 6–4 to begin the Arthur Ashe programme.
The No. 22 seed struck 21 winners and relied on her greater experience during the most important stages of both sets.
Korneeva did not allow the match to become the straightforward power contest Keys might have preferred. She remained competitive throughout the opening set and forced the American to play through the anxiety that can accompany a first-round match at a home major.
Keys eventually found the decisive break and repeated the pattern in the second.
Her seeding understates her credentials. Keys is a Grand Slam champion and a former US Open finalist, but her position outside the Top 20 leaves her vulnerable to meeting one of the leading contenders in the third round.
Surviving the opener without being forced into a deciding set was therefore important. She will need to build rhythm quickly because her section of the draw offers little long-term protection.
Putintseva Produces Day 3’s Biggest Upset
Yulia Putintseva eliminated No. 12 seed Belinda Bencic 4–6, 7–5, 6–3 after two hours and 51 minutes.
Bencic appeared positioned to advance after winning the opening set, but Putintseva refused to allow the match to follow the rankings.
The Kazakh recovered a tightly contested second set and then won the final four games of the decider. Bencic ended the match with a double fault as Putintseva completed her best victory of the 2026 season.
Putintseva struck 37 winners and won 13 of her 16 approaches to the net. She also earned five service breaks and maintained enough control behind her second serve to prevent Bencic from consistently dictating the rallies.
The victory represents Putintseva’s first against a Top 20 opponent since January 2025.
She will next face qualifier Zheng Qinwen, who has already won four matches in New York between qualifying and the main draw. Putintseva leads their head-to-head record 2–0, although both previous meetings came on clay. Official WTA match report
Sakkari Escapes From a Set Down
No. 32 seed Maria Sakkari recovered to defeat American qualifier Robin Montgomery 2–6, 7–5, 6–2.
Montgomery controlled the opening set and moved within reach of the most significant victory of her season. Sakkari responded by narrowly claiming the second before taking command in the decider.
The match demonstrated both the risk attached to Sakkari’s position and the experience that makes her dangerous despite entering as the final seed.
A poor opening set against a stronger opponent could have ended her tournament. Against Montgomery, she found enough time to stabilize and reverse the momentum.
Sakkari’s survival leaves Bencic as the highest seed eliminated on Day 3.
Other Completed Women’s Results
Several additional players progressed through the final section of the first round:
- No. 23 Elise Mertens defeated Kaitlin Quevedo, 6–4, 6–4
- No. 24 Anastasia Potapova defeated lucky loser Darja Semenistaja, 6–2, 6–2
- Eva Lys defeated qualifier Gabriela Knutson, 6–3, 6–3
- Anna Bondar defeated qualifier Lucie Havlickova, 6–3, 6–3
- Oleksandra Oliynykova defeated Reese Brantmeier, 6–4, 6–4
- Jessica Bouzas Maneiro defeated Darja Vidmanova, 6–3, 6–4
- Leolia Jeanjean defeated qualifier Arantxa Rus, 7–6(6), 6–2
- Yuliia Starodubtseva defeated Ella Seidel, 6–2, 6–2
These results established several of the remaining second-round matchups, including Eala–Oliynykova, Rybakina–Bouzas Maneiro and Andreeva–Lys.
Rain Leaves Several First-Round Matches Unfinished
Rain interrupted the outside courts for almost four hours, while Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong Stadium continued under their roofs.
Several matches were delayed or suspended and must be completed during Day 4. Among them was the meeting between No. 30 seed Jelena Ostapenko and Tatjana Maria, which was halted at one set apiece.
The disruption means that most of the women’s second round can begin while a small number of first-round places remain unresolved.
As with the interruptions earlier in the tournament, the effect extends beyond inconvenience. Players completing suspended matches receive less recovery time before their next round, particularly if the resumed contest becomes physically demanding.
What Day 3 Told Us
Eala supplied the clearest individual statement.
Her 6–1, 6–2 victory was not merely another first-round win. It was evidence that she can carry the expectations of being a seeded player onto a major show court and produce the result demanded by her ranking.
The scoreline was emphatic, but the most revealing statistic was her six saved break points. Stoiana repeatedly found opportunities to make the contest more competitive; Eala repeatedly denied them.
Rybakina answered the immediate questions about her ankle and began her No. 1 pursuit without surrendering a set. Gauff used the serve that has so often created concern to escape the most important game of her match. Andreeva transformed a previously difficult matchup into a one-sided victory, while Keys handled a dangerous teenager without allowing the match to reach a decider.
Putintseva provided the reminder that seedings offer structure rather than certainty.
With the first round almost complete, the principal contenders remain intact. Sabalenka, Rybakina, Pegula and Gauff are all through, as are Swiatek, Andreeva, Noskova, Muchova, Osaka, Anisimova and Eala.
The tournament now moves into the second round, where surviving is no longer enough to describe every result as satisfactory.
For Eala, the next opportunity is already clear: defeat Oliynykova and move beyond the point where her 2025 US Open campaign ended.
Sources: Official US Open results, WTA US Open coverage, Reuters Day 3 report.