US Open 2026 pages
Sports · US Open 2026 · Women's Singles · Round of 64
Ekaterina Alexandrova vs 
Kimberly Birrell
Round of 64
Watch: ESPN · ESPN2 · ABC · ESPN app
My pick: Ekaterina Alexandrova to advance · locked 2026-08-31 20:50 UTCPrediction
Alexandrova was ruthless on Monday and Birrell was not, which is most of the case here: 6-2 6-2 over McCartney Kessler in 1 hour 6 minutes, 83% of first-serve points won and four breaks from five chances, against Birrell's 2 hours 31 and twelve double faults in a match she won having been outscored on points, 102 to Petra Marcinko's 105. That Birrell won it at all is the interesting part — a match point saved in the twelfth game of the second set on Sunday night, a fourteen-hour rain delay, and then seven of eight break points converted on Monday for her first US Open main-draw win at the fourth attempt. Alexandrova leads the only previous meeting, on grass at 's-Hertogenbosch in 2023, and is 186–137 on hard courts to Birrell's 81–80. The ratings put it near 67–33. The 18th seed's 15–22 season is the one number that keeps this interesting.
The case for Ekaterina Alexandrova
67% to winAlexandrova spent 66 minutes on court and dropped four games, winning 83% of her first-serve points and converting four of five break points — the most efficient women's opener of the day. She won their only previous meeting and is 186–137 on hard courts, and she reached the fourth round here last year. Birrell served twelve double faults on Monday and needed 2 hours 31 minutes against a player ranked outside the top 100; against a top-20 returner that is not a survivable profile.
The case for Kimberly Birrell
33% to winBirrell has just won the match she has lost three years running, and she won it the hard way: a match point saved, an overnight suspension, and seven break points converted from eight on the resumption. Alexandrova is 15–22 for the season, which is a top-20 player having a bad year, and she has lost early enough often enough this season that an opponent playing with house money is a real problem. Birrell's 81–80 hard-court record is a fair rate for someone ranked 71st.
Both cases written 2026-08-31, before the first ball — frozen into the record exactly as written, whatever the result. The percentages are mine — opinions with a percent sign on. They add to 100 because tennis has no draw to hide the rounding in.
Tale of the tape
Player vitals: US Open official player feed (usopen.org) and Tennis Abstract career match logs · as of 2026-08-31.
Career head-to-head: Tennis Abstract career match logs (tour-level) · as of 2026-08-31.
The briefing
Storylines
- Alexandrova beat McCartney Kessler 6-2 6-2 in 1 hour 6 minutes, winning 83% of her first-serve points.
- Birrell saved a match point on Sunday night, returned after a fourteen-hour rain delay and beat Petra Marcinko 3-6 7-6(4) 6-3 — her first US Open main-draw win at the fourth attempt.
- Birrell won the match despite losing the point count 105-102, converting seven of her eight break points.
- Alexandrova won their only meeting, 6-4 7-6(3) on grass at 's-Hertogenbosch in 2023.
- Alexandrova is 15–22 for the season despite being ranked No. 19.
Head to head
Alexandrova leads 1-0, winning their only meeting 6-4 7-6(3) on grass at 's-Hertogenbosch in 2023.
Source: Tennis Abstract career match logs (tour-level) · as of 2026-08-31.
Watch: Second-round coverage runs across ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC, with ESPN Deportes in Spanish — and every court streams in the ESPN app, which is where a match away from the two show courts will live. (ESPN press-room release and listings, as of 2026-08-27)
Court & schedule: Not yet assigned. The US Open posts each day's order of play the evening before, and this match has not reached the board yet. (Official US Open order-of-play release cadence, as of 2026-08-31)
Weather: Rain is the story of the week's opening, and it is forecast to get worse before it clears. Showers and thunderstorms are likely overnight — 72% under a low near 72°F — and Tuesday is the worst day on the board: near 81°F with storms likely through the day, 67%, and again after dark at 64%. Wednesday is the break in it, near 76°F on a 26% chance of showers, with a slight chance of storms returning overnight; Thursday is warm and unsettled again, near 84°F on 53%. Friday is the first clean day of the fortnight — near 82°F and mostly sunny after an early 15%. Ashe and Armstrong close their roofs and play on; everything else waits. (National Weather Service New York forecast, as of 2026-08-31)
Venue: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Flushing Meadows, New York — hard.
At this Stage
The Round of 64 halves the draw again: 32 women's matches across Wednesday and Thursday, every one of them between players who have already won here this week. The seeds who came through the opening round now meet opponents with form behind them rather than a ranking.
Round of 128
Round of 32