Putintseva Upsets Bencic at US Open

Yulia Putintseva upset Belinda Bencic 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 in the first round of the 2026 US Open on Tuesday at Stadium 17. Putintseva, ranked 84, took out the No. 12 seed in three sets after dropping the opener, then flipped the match with the serve and the return.

This was not a quiet outer-court fade. Putintseva hit six aces. Bencic hit zero. Bencic also sprayed nine double faults to Putintseva's four. Once the second set tilted, the seed never got the night back. Putintseva broke five return games. Bencic broke three. In a best-of-three Slam opener, that gap is usually the whole story.

The first set, then the flip

Bencic took the opener 6-4. Putintseva answered by winning 69 percent of first-serve points and 63 percent of second-serve points for the match, per Tennis.com. She held 12 of 15 service games. Bencic held 11 of 16.

Break points told the rest. Putintseva converted five of ten. Bencic converted three of seven. Putintseva also won 39 percent of first-return points and 39 percent of second-return points. That is how a player ranked outside the top 80 hangs around long enough to steal a Slam opener.

Why Bencic could not close

The Swiss seed put 55 percent of first serves in play and still won only 61 percent of those points. Nine double faults are a bad look in Round 1 at Flushing. Putintseva kept first serves at 57 percent and refused to give free points away late.

Stadium 17 does not get Ashe's noise, but it gets results. Putintseva has made a career of these. Career high was No. 20. She still plays every point like the seed owes her money. First-serve percentage barely separated them (57 to 55). The free points did. Zero aces for a No. 12 seed in Round 1 is how upsets start writing themselves.

Where the draw goes next

Day three already had Elena Rybakina through in straight sets and plenty of chalk elsewhere. This was the chalk that cracked.

Putintseva turned pro in 2010 and still lists 5-foot-4 on the sheet. Bencic is 5-foot-9 with a career-high of No. 4. Rankings and height did not decide Stadium 17. First-serve points (69 to 61), second-serve points (63 to 61), and those six aces did. Putintseva walks into Round 2 with a three-set win and a No. 12 seed in the rearview. Bencic walks out of New York after one match.