Kazakhstani tennis player Alexander Bublik (16) advanced to the second round of the US Open 2026. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.

In the opening match, the 15th seed defeated wildcard recipient American Jeffrey John Wolf (285) – 6:4, 6:2, 3:6, 6:1.

Bublik confidently won the first two sets. In the opening set, the Kazakhstani needed just one break – 6:4, and in the second he broke his opponent's serve twice and increased his lead – 6:2.

In the third set, Wolf managed to restore the intrigue. The American converted three break points in the match and took one set – 6:3. However, he failed to build on that success: in the fourth set, Bublik conceded only one game – 6:1.

Bublik hit 18 aces against four for Wolf, though he committed ten double faults. On first serve, the Kazakhstani won 80% of points, on second – 76%. Particularly noticeable was his advantage in returning the opponent's second serve: Bublik won 26 of 45 such rallies.

Overall, the Kazakhstani converted seven of eight break points, while Wolf converted three of eight. This was the first meeting between the players since Wimbledon 2023, where Bublik also defeated the American in three sets.

In the second round of the US Open 2026, Bublik will face Frenchman Adrian Mannarino (67). The players have met twice and split victories. In 2020, the Kazakhstani was stronger in Doha – 6:3, 6:4, and in 2025, Mannarino took revenge in Beijing – 6:3, 6:2.

In the women's draw, our country will be represented by Elena Rybakina (2) and Yulia Putintseva (80). Their opponents in the opening round will be American Thea Frodin (580) and Swiss Belinda Bencic (12), respectively.

Earlier, Kazakhstan's second-ranked player Alexander Shevchenko (97) ended his run in the first round. He failed to convert two match points and lost in five sets to Croatian Dino Prižmić – 6:2, 3:6, 3:6, 7:5, 5:7.

The US Open is an annual Grand Slam tennis tournament on hard courts. It is the last of the four majors in the calendar year.

For the second consecutive year, the US Open, first held in August 1881, starts a week earlier due to the rescheduled mixed doubles tournament. The total prize fund is $108 million – a record for majors.

Since 1978, matches have been held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.

The reigning men's champion is Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz (3), who defeated Jannik Sinner in last year's final 6:2, 3:6, 6:1, 6:4. By the way, the Italian, the world number one, withdrew from the US Open 2026 due to a knee injury.

In women's singles, the 2025 champion was Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka. In the final, she defeated Amanda Anisimova of the USA – 6:3, 7:6 (7:3).