Cristina Bucsa vs Himeno Sakatsume — R64 — US Open

Broken serving for the match in game 12 of the third, one game after taking game 11 for 6-5, Bucsa needed a tiebreak to close it out, and the 144th-ranked Sakatsume saved two match points before it ended. The points count went the other way. Sakatsume finished with 129 of 256 points and 13 fewer unforced errors, yet took only 6 of 13 break chances to Bucsa's 6 of 10, and in the decider she converted 2 of 7 while the Spaniard went 2 for 2 on return. Bucsa's game runs on redirection and touch rather than pace, instincts built across a long doubles career, and it paid at the net, where she won 13 of 19 points. Three hours after the first ball, she is into the third round at the major that has taken her furthest — a fourth round here in 2025.