Former quarterfinalist Putintseva rallies to stun Bencic in US Open first round

NEW YORK -- Six years ago, Yulia Putintseva upset No. 8 seed Petra Martic to reach her third Grand Slam quarterfinal at the 2020 US Open. On Tuesday, she produced another stunner at Flushing Meadows, coming from a set down to defeat No. 12 seed Belinda Bencic 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 in 2 hours and 51 minutes to reach the second round.

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Why do these wins keep coming in New York? It's hard to say, according to Putintseva.

"I don't know. I cannot say that I like the courts here or the balls. I'm just fighting with everything every time I play, trying to bring my best, no matter the conditions," Putintseva said. "Sometimes it's working, sometimes it's not. I'm just doing my thing, working hard, playing as best as I can and fighting with everything that's around me and myself as well."

There were a few moments of frustration throughout the match -- some of her own doing and others brought on by her opponent -- and that was evidenced by a handful of therapeutic racket tosses. But the contest was mostly positive for Putintseva, particularly the third set, when she won the last four games and broke to love in the final game as Bencic double-faulted to end the match.

Putintseva's victory over the World No. 12 is her best win of the 2026 WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz season and her first win over a Top 20 opponent since she defeated Diana Shnaider at Adelaide 2025.

It was much deserved for the former World No. 20, who outperformed Bencic in just about every category. On serve, she hit six aces and won 56% of her second-serve points -- well above her season average. She was also the superior player at the net, winning 81% of her net points (13 of 16) compared to Bencic's 42% (10 of 24).

She broke five times and hit 37 winners to 37 unforced errors.

Looking ahead

"It's definitely better to (win) than to lose today. What else can I say," Putintseva said in her post-match press conference. "I'm happy. I'm already thinking about my next match, and that's pretty much it. I have a tough draw and I have to prepare."

Putintseva will face another former US Open quarterfinalist in Zheng Qinwen next. Zheng has already played and won four matches this week after coming through qualifying.

This will be the third meeting between them. Putintseva leads the head-to-head 2-0, though both meetings came on clay and Zheng retired down 7-5, 2-0 in their most recent contest at Madrid 2024.