Cristina Bucsa survived a three-hour, 1-minute US Open marathon on Thursday, defeating Japanese qualifier Himeno Sakatsume 7-6(6), 6-7(0), 7-6[6] to book a place in the third round. The world No. 40’s win was the fourth triple-tiebreak match in US Open Open Era history.
SEO title: Cristina Bucsa beats Himeno Sakatsume in US Open triple-tiebreak thriller
SEO description: World No. 40 Cristina Bucsa defeated qualifier Himeno Sakatsume in three tiebreaks at the US Open to set up a third-round meeting with fourth seed Coco Gauff.
Cristina Bucsa outlasts Sakatsume in US Open epic
The match
Bucsa, the No. 40-ranked Spaniard, had already removed No. 28 seed Sara Bejlek, a Cincinnati semifinalist, in the opening round. Her victory over Sakatsume gave her successive match wins for the first time since she collected her first WTA title in Merida in February.
The opening set went to a tiebreak, with Bucsa taking it 8-6. She moved within two points of the match during the second set after recovering from 5-3 down to lead 6-5, but Sakatsume found a way through the danger.
The 25-year-old Japanese player, ranked No. 144, produced a string of clean winners in the second-set breaker and claimed it without conceding a point. Sakatsume had arrived in New York with no Grand Slam main-draw wins before beating Anhelina Kalinina in round one, and she again resisted when the contest appeared to be slipping away.
Bucsa led 5-3 in the decider, only for Sakatsume to force the set into the deciding 10-point tiebreak. The qualifier then saved two match points when Bucsa served at 5-4, including one with a down-the-line return winner.
There was still one last response from Bucsa. She attacked the super-tiebreak, used the net effectively and converted her third match point with a forward move to seal the 7-6[6] finish.
It was the sixth Grand Slam main-draw contest of the Open Era to be decided by tiebreaks in all three sets. At the US Open, deciding-set tiebreaks were played to seven points until 2021; they have since been played as 10-point super-tiebreaks.
Bucsa’s win was also the third triple-tiebreak result on the 2026 tour. Madison Keys beat Diana Shnaider 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 7-6(4) in the Brisbane second round, while another such match was won by Elsa Jacquemot.
The next round
Bucsa will face fourth seed Coco Gauff in the third round as she tries to reach the US Open second week for a second consecutive year. Bucsa made the last 16 at Flushing Meadows in 2025 after wins over Alexandra Eala and Elise Mertens.
