Marta Kostyuk beat former champion Sloane Stephens 6-1, 7-5 in the second round at the US Open 2026 on Wednesday. The No. 11 seed cruised through a lopsided first set, then weathered a much tighter second to reach the third round.
Stephens, who won the title here in 2017, clawed back after dropping the opener. She broke serve to pull level at 5-5 in the second set and earned a set point to force a decider. But Kostyuk saved it and broke right back, closing the match on her terms.
"I tried to go for my shots and I think it's all that matters in the important moments," Kostyuk said afterward.
Sloane Stephens & Marta Kostyuk Share US Open History
The two share deeper roots at this venue as well. In 2017, a teenage Kostyuk won the US Open junior doubles title on the same day Stephens lifted the singles trophy.
Nearly a decade later, the Ukrainian star now leads their head-to-head 2-0. She also beat Stephens 7-5, 7-5 at the Cincinnati Open just two weeks earlier.
Kostyuk finished with eight aces and 30 winners on Wednesday, tripling Stephens's total of 10. She next faces No. 18 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova as she aims to surpass her career-best fourth-round run from 2025.
