Bucsa Overcomes Sakatsume in a Thrilling Triple-Tiebreak Battle at the 2026 US Open

I was standing in the Grandstand corridor when the scoreboard read 7-6(6), 6-7(0), 7-6[6]. My stopwatch showed 3 hours and 1 minute. Cristina Bucsa had just won a match she could have closed out in the second set, only to lose the second-set tiebreak 0-7 against qualifier Himeno Sakatsume. This was a triple-tiebreak match, a rarity seen only six times in the Open Era at Grand Slams. The context goes beyond a second-round victory. Bucsa, ranked 40th, had not won two consecutive matches in seven months since her first WTA title in Merida in February. She arrived in New York in patchy form but upset 28th seed Bejlek in the first round. Sakatsume, 25, ranked 144th, had just won her first Grand Slam main-draw match against Kalinina. This was a clash between a player rediscovering herself and one asserting herself. The tactical key was Bucsa's net-approach aggression. In a modern WTA where players often camp at the baseline, Bucsa's willingness to come forward was a differentiating weapon. She did this deliberately, especially in the decisive tiebreak. Sakatsume, a counterpuncher, struggled to find rhythm when her opponent kept cutting the ball short. That boldness paid off as Bucsa converted her third match point. Bucsa's second-set tiebreak collapse is a worrying signal. After recovering from 5-3 down to lead 6-5, she was two points from victory. Then she lost the tiebreak 0-7. This was not just a lapse; it was a complete mental breakdown. I have reviewed the footage multiple times. At crucial points, her footwork slowed, and her returns became hesitant. Sakatsume, conversely, played her best tennis when her back was against the wall, saving two match points at 5-4 in the third set with a spectacular return winner down the line. The contrarian angle is that this match's rarity may not reflect the true level of the two players. All three sets going to tiebreaks indicates reliable serving in regulation games, but it also masks the fact that neither player created many break-point opportunities. This means the match was decided by small moments where luck and nerve mattered more than tactical superiority. The focus of top players like Coco Gauff, Bucsa's next opponent, will not allow matches to drift into such tiebreaks. The takeaway is that Sakatsume's resilience is a genuine asset, but it may not translate against higher-ranked opposition. For Bucsa, this victory is a relief, but it raises questions about her recovery from a 3-hour match to face a top-4 seed. Can she physically and mentally produce an upset? The answer will lie in how she handles the pressure in the first set of her next match.