Yulia Putintseva vs. Belinda Bencic — US Open 2026 First-Round Match Report
Belinda Bencic was a set and two games up, and still could not get past Yulia Putintseva.
That feels entirely appropriate for Putintseva.
The 31-year-old Kazakh, one of the tour’s most expressive and unpredictable competitors, turned a match that repeatedly appeared to be leaning toward Bencic into a 7-5, 5-7, 6-3 victory, sending the world No. 12 out of the US Open at the first hurdle.
For Putintseva, currently ranked No. 75, this was a sizeable upset but hardly an unprecedented stage. The Moscow-born player has represented Kazakhstan since 2012, reached a career-high No. 20 in 2025 and has already made three Grand Slam quarterfinals, including one here in New York in 2020. She also owns three WTA singles titles.
The eccentricity has always drawn attention.
This time the tennis deserved just as much of it.
Bencic Loses a 3-0 Lead but Still Finds the First Set
Bencic made the faster start, holding the opening game before breaking Putintseva for 2-0 and consolidating for 3-0.
Putintseva then began to work her way back.
She held for 3-1, broke Bencic for 3-2 and levelled at 3-3, wiping out the Swiss player’s early advantage completely.
Bencic steadied herself with a hold for 4-3, but Putintseva answered for 4-4. Another Bencic hold pushed the pressure back onto the Kazakh at 5-4.
This time Putintseva could not escape.
Bencic broke to love to take the opening set 6-4, recovering from the loss of her early break without allowing the set itself to slip away.
Set 1 at a Glance
- Bencic won her service games 4 of 5, while Putintseva managed 3 of 5.
- Bencic didn’t commit a single double fault (0) compared with Putintseva’s 3.
- Bencic won 34 of 60 total points, hitting 13 winners to Putintseva’s 9.
Full Set 1 Stats
| Putintseva | Statistic | Bencic |
|---|---|---|
| Set 1 Duration: 0h47m | ||
| 0.74 | Dominance Ratio | 1.36 |
| 9 | Winners | 13 |
| 13 | Unforced Errors | 9 |
| 213 | Serve Rating | 281 |
| 0 | Aces | 0 |
| 3 | Double Faults | 0 |
| 55% (16/29) | 1st Serve % | 77% (24/31) |
| 63% (10/16) | 1st Serve Points Won | 67% (16/24) |
| 38% (5/13) | 2nd Serve Points Won | 57% (4/7) |
| 33% (1/3) | Break Points Saved | 50% (1/2) |
| 146 | Return Rating | 207 |
| 33% (8/24) | 1st Return Points Won | 38% (6/16) |
| 43% (3/7) | 2nd Return Points Won | 62% (8/13) |
| 1/2 | Break Points Won | 2/3 |
| 26 | Total Points Won | 34 |
Putintseva Keeps Bencic Under Pressure and Takes the Second
Bencic again made the stronger start, holding the opening game and then breaking Putintseva for 2-0.
This time, though, the response was immediate.
Putintseva broke straight back for 2-1 and then held for 2-2. From there, the set tightened considerably.
Bencic moved ahead 3-2, Putintseva levelled at 3-3, and the pattern continued through 4-4 and 5-5.
Neither player could create any separation until the eleventh game.
Putintseva held for 6-5, forcing Bencic to serve to stay in the set.
That was where the pressure finally told.
Putintseva broke to take the set 7-5 and force a decider.
Set 2 at a Glance
- Putintseva won 70% of first serve points, while Bencic managed just 52%.
- Putintseva won 100% of net points, 7 of 7, compared with Bencic’s 4 of 10.
- Putintseva won 45 of 81 total points, hitting 17 winners to Bencic’s 11.
Full Set 2 Stats
| Putintseva | Statistic | Bencic |
|---|---|---|
| Set 2 Duration: 1h10m | ||
| 1.40 | Dominance Ratio | 0.71 |
| 17 | Winners | 11 |
| 14 | Unforced Errors | 16 |
| 273 | Serve Rating | 221 |
| 2 | Aces | 0 |
| 1 | Double Faults | 4 |
| 56% (20/36) | 1st Serve % | 51% (23/45) |
| 70% (14/20) | 1st Serve Points Won | 52% (12/23) |
| 67% (10/15) | 2nd Serve Points Won | 55% (12/22) |
| 75% (3/4) | Break Points Saved | 50% (2/4) |
| 176 | Return Rating | 105 |
| 48% (11/23) | 1st Return Points Won | 30% (6/20) |
| 45% (10/22) | 2nd Return Points Won | 33% (5/15) |
| 2/4 | Break Points Won | 1/4 |
| 45 | Total Points Won | 36 |
Putintseva Waits Until 3-3 and Then Takes Over
The deciding set began without the early swings of the previous two.
Bencic held for 1-0, Putintseva answered, and the pair stayed together through 2-2 and then 3-3.
That was where the balance finally broke.
Putintseva took Bencic’s serve for 4-3, consolidated for 5-3 and then attacked again with the Swiss serving to stay in the tournament.
Another break finished it. The Kazakh even closed it out to love.
6-3.
This time there was no Bencic response.
Putintseva had taken the final three games of the second set and, when the match reached its decisive phase, the final four games of the third as well.
Set 3 at a Glance
- Putintseva won 72% of all her service points, while Bencic just managed 51%.
- Putintseva hit 5 aces to Bencic’s 0, and didn’t commit a single double fault (0) compared with Bencic’s 5.
- Putintseva won 35 of 60 total points, hitting 11 winners to Bencic’s 7.
Full Set 3 Stats
| Putintseva | Statistic | Bencic |
|---|---|---|
| Set 3 Duration: 0h54m | ||
| 1.73 | Dominance Ratio | 0.58 |
| 11 | Winners | 7 |
| 10 | Unforced Errors | 18 |
| 313 | Serve Rating | 202 |
| 5 | Aces | 0 |
| 0 | Double Faults | 5 |
| 60% (15/25) | 1st Serve % | 40% (14/35) |
| 73% (11/15) | 1st Serve Points Won | 64% (9/14) |
| 75% (9/12) | 2nd Serve Points Won | 43% (9/21) |
| – (0/0) | Break Points Saved | 50% (2/4) |
| 183 | Return Rating | 52 |
| 36% (5/14) | 1st Return Points Won | 27% (4/15) |
| 57% (12/21) | 2nd Return Points Won | 25% (3/12) |
| 2/4 | Break Points Won | – (0/0) |
| 35 | Total Points Won | 25 |
The Numbers Confirm a Very Bad Night for Bencic
The score was close.
The full-match statistics were less kind to Bencic.
Putintseva struck 37 winners to Bencic’s 31 and, more importantly, committed fewer unforced errors: 37 against 43.
Bencic also finished with nine double faults and no aces. Putintseva produced six aces and four double faults.
The difference on serve extended beyond that. Putintseva won 69 percent of her first-serve points and 56 percent behind the second serve. Bencic managed 61 and 50 percent respectively.
Putintseva converted five of her 10 break opportunities. Bencic converted three of seven.
One of the more striking differences came at the net. Putintseva won 13 of 16 points there, while Bencic managed only 10 of 24.
Putintseva finished with a 1.20 dominance ratio to Bencic’s 0.83 and won 106 of the 201 points played.
For an unseeded player ranked No. 75 against the world No. 12, this was no smash-and-grab upset.
She was the better player across the match.
Putintseva Has Always Enjoyed the Big Stage
There has rarely been anything understated about Putintseva’s tennis career.
She was born in Moscow, started playing at Spartak Tennis Club and later moved to Paris to train at the Mouratoglou Academy after winning an under-14 event. As a junior, she reached world No. 3 and made two junior Grand Slam singles finals. Her childhood tennis idols were Martina Hingis and Justine Henin.
At senior level, her best major results have included French Open quarterfinals in 2016 and 2018 and that US Open quarterfinal in 2020.
She may now sit outside the Top 70, but this was a reminder that ranking alone has never captured how awkward an opponent Putintseva can become when she finds a rhythm and a match starts turning into a fight.
Bencic found that out over three sets.
Bencic Leaves, Putintseva Gets Another New York Chapter
This is a significant defeat for Bencic.
The Swiss arrived at the US Open ranked No. 12 and will probably leave New York in roughly the same position, but that offers little consolation when her tournament is already over in the first round.
Putintseva’s position is rather different.
At No. 75, there was little expectation attached to her side of the draw. Now she has removed one of the Top 12 players before the tournament has properly settled into its first week.
And she did it in distinctly Putintseva fashion: giving away early leads, pulling herself back into sets, turning exchanges into battles and refusing to disappear when the match became uncomfortable.
Bencic had chances to take control.
Putintseva kept taking them back.