Nikola Bartunkova faces Andreeva in US Open third round
Nikola Bartunkova meets fifth seed Mirra Andreeva in the US Open 2026 women's singles third round on Stadium 17. It is their first meeting. Andreeva is WTA No. 5; Bartunkova has risen to No. 34. Both won their opening two matches in New York.
Key Takeaways
- The US Open third round pits seeded Mirra Andreeva against unseeded Nikola Bartunkova in a first-time meeting.
- Andreeva, 19 and ranked No. 5, is 43-13 this season and has not dropped a set in New York yet.
- Bartunkova, 20 and ranked No. 34, has climbed from No. 266 in 24 months and already beat Tatjana Maria in three sets.
- Bookmakers and models lean heavily toward Andreeva, with Tony's Picks showing roughly a 79% no-vig win chance.
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Who is Nikola Bartunkova and how did she reach this stage?
Nikola Bartunkova arrives at Stadium 17 as one of the tournament's sharper risers. TennisTemple notes she has moved from world No. 266 to No. 34 within 24 months, while Andreeva has climbed from No. 24 to No. 5 over the same span.
The 20-year-old's six recorded titles all came on the secondary circuit, between W25 and W75 events, before this surge. At Flushing Meadows she has already won twice, including a three-set win over Tatjana Maria. Those matches lasted 130 and 160 minutes, signaling she is willing to dig into long exchanges.
According to TennisTemple's US Open preview, her main-draw hard-court record sits at 18 wins and 11 losses, compared with Andreeva's 68-31 on the same surface.
Why does Mirra Andreeva enter as the clear favorite?
Andreeva is the fifth seed, ranked No. 5, and 19 years old. She is 43-13 on the season and closed her first two US Open matches without dropping a set, in 63 and then 149 minutes.
This is her fourth US Open appearance, and TennisTemple notes she has never gone beyond the third round—still her best result at the major. That history makes Saturday's match a familiar checkpoint for the favorite and a breakthrough chance for Bartunkova.
Tony's Picks listed Andreeva at -417 and Bartunkova at +361 (Pinnacle), with a no-vig split of about 78.8% to 21.2%. Dimers' tennis model also projects Andreeva as the most likely winner of the third-round Women's Singles matchup.
What should fans watch for in this third-round clash?
It is their first meeting, so there is no head-to-head script. TennisTemple flags freshness and serving quality as possible swing factors if rallies stretch, given Bartunkova's longer early-round match times.
Tony's Picks frames Andreeva as the lower-variance path through depth, angles, and return pressure, while noting Bartunkova needs efficient serving and early initiative to threaten an upset. The scheduled window cited there was September 5, 2026, at 4:30 p.m. UTC on outdoor hard courts.
Crowd-prediction trends on TennisTemple heavily favored Andreeva as well. Whatever the final score, the ranking gap and Bartunkova's rapid climb explain why this third-round bill drew such attention in New York.