Despite concerns over Rybakina's fitness, her superior experience and level make her the clear favorite against a Frodin making her tour-level main-draw debut.
Rybakina Aims For A Confident Start In New York
- Frodin is making her first tour-level main-draw appearance this week.
- She has never defeated a player ranked inside the Top 300.
- Rybakina has a 5–2 record in first-round matches at the US Open.
- She has not lost to a player ranked outside the Top 200 since 2021.
HTH
This will be their first meeting.
Thea Frodin Faces a Dream US Open Main-Draw Debut
Thea Frodin received a main-draw wildcard to make her first appearance in a tour-level main draw this week. She previously competed in the qualifying stages in Miami earlier this year, where she took a set off Victoria Golubic before losing the match.
The American played nine ITF events earlier this year, notably reaching the final at the W35 event in Arcadia and the semifinals at W35 Ystad. These results helped her improve by more than 400 places in the rankings this year.
She has previously played six matches against players ranked inside the Top 300 and lost all of them, with all six of those matches coming in 2026.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Age | 17 |
| Plays | Right-handed |
| World Ranking | No. 585 |
| Career High | No. 580 (24 August 2026) |
| Tour-Level Titles | 0 |
Elena Rybakina Faces a Fitness Test at the US Open
Elena Rybakina suffered some disappointing losses before the North American swing, winning only four matches across four tournaments from the French Open through Wimbledon.
However, she rediscovered her level in recent weeks, reaching the final in Toronto and the quarterfinals in Cincinnati, where she retired against Iga Swiatek while trailing 1-4 in the first set due to an ankle injury.
The Kazakh has played 15 events this year and reached at least the quarterfinals in 10 of them, including four finals, which has helped her remain inside the Top 2 in the rankings.
This is her eighth main-draw appearance at the US Open, and she has cleared the opening-round hurdle in five of her previous seven appearances, with her best result coming last year when she reached the fourth round.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Country | Kazakhstan |
| Age | Born 17 June 1999 |
| Plays | Right-handed |
| World Ranking | No. 2 |
| Career High | No. 2 (16 March 2026) |
| Elo Ranking | No. 3 |
| Tour-Level Titles | 13 |