Belinda Bencic’s Uneven US Open Campaign Ends in the First Round

Belinda Bencic had the physical and technical tools to win, but her nerves ultimately sent her out of the US Open in the first round.

The Swiss player lost to Yulia Putintseva, a Russian-born player representing Kazakhstan, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 after 2 hours and 51 minutes. The tight score reflected a close match, yet Bencic appeared capable of finishing it in fewer sets. Her frustration with unforced errors and inconsistency repeatedly surfaced at the ends of sets.

Bencic made an excellent start on Stadium 17, quickly taking a 3-0 lead. She then held three chances to move 4-1 ahead on her next service game but was broken instead. Putintseva recovered to level at 3-3 and later 4-4, marking the first disruption to Bencic’s momentum.

Rain delayed the match from its scheduled 11 a.m. start until around 3 p.m., leaving the seats wet and the air humid. The report did not treat those conditions as an excuse. Bencic’s loss followed first-round defeats for Stan Wawrinka, Viktorija Golubic and Simona Waltert on Monday, leaving Switzerland without a representative at Flushing Meadows.