Second seed Elena Rybakina booked her place in the third round of the US Open on Thursday with a convincing 6-2, 6-4 victory over Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.

The Kazakh looked in control for most of the contest, using powerful serves and deep, heavy groundstrokes to keep the Spanish baseliner under constant pressure. Rybakina also moved freely around the court, showing no obvious signs of the left heel injury that had raised concerns about her participation in the tournament.

Bouzas Maneiro briefly threatened to make things interesting when Rybakina served for the match at 5-3, raising her level to break back. However, the world No. 2 responded immediately, attacking her opponent’s serve with authority to earn another break and close out the match in just over an hour.

“I’m super glad, super happy to be here,” Rybakina said afterwards, adding that she was “very proud” of the way she had performed through the opening two rounds despite having less-than-ideal preparation.

The 2026 Australian Open champion arrived in New York in strong form after an impressive run through the US Open warm-up events. She reached the final in Toronto before picking up further victories in Cincinnati the following week.

However, her Cincinnati campaign ended prematurely when she was forced to retire during her quarter-final because of the injury, leaving her fitness for the US Open uncertain.

Those concerns now appear to have been put to rest.

Rybakina needs just three more victories to reach the semi-finals, a stage that would guarantee she moves above Aryna Sabalenka at the top of the WTA rankings.

The Kazakh is also looking to improve on her previous best showing in New York. Her deepest run at the US Open came in 2025, when she reached the fourth round before losing to Marketa Vondrousova.

Her next challenge will be a familiar opponent and one she will be eager to overcome.

Rybakina will face Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubtseva, who stunned Maria Sakkari 1-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 to reach the third round.

Starodubtseva will provide a particularly intriguing test for Rybakina after she shocked the Kazakh in the second round of this year’s French Open at Roland Garros.

With a place in the fourth round at stake, Rybakina will be determined to avoid another upset and keep her push for the world No. 1 ranking firmly on track.

US Open 2026

The US Open is the fourth and final Grand Slam of the tennis season and is being held from August 30 to September 13.

The hard-court major takes place at Flushing Meadows in New York City, bringing together the world’s best players for two weeks of Grand Slam action.