Cristina Bucsa vs Himeno Sakatsume Preview & Prediction | 2026 US Open | Second Round

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Cristina Bucsa takes on Himeno Sakatsume in the second-round of the US Open. 

Start date/time: 2 September 2026 at 4:00 pm

Venue: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, New York, USA

Surface: Outdoor hard

How to watch on TV: UK – Sky Sports Tennis / USA – ESPN

How to watch online: UK – Sky Go / USA – ESPN+

Tickets: Visit this link for the latest Cristina Bucsa vs Himeno Sakatsume ticket information

Cristina Bucsa vs Himeno Sakatsume prediction

Cristina Bucsa produced a fine display in round one as she defeated Sara Bejlek in three sets. Bejlek had reached the Cincinnati Open semi-finals in her last event, beating world number one Aryna Sabalenka along the way, while Bucsa had just two wins from her previous 11 matches, but the Spaniard raced clear in the deciding set to win 7-5 4-6 6-1. Bucsa did reach the round-of-16 at Flushing Meadows last year.

She faces Himeno Sakatsume in the first-round. Sakatsume made it four straight victories, including qualifiers, as she comfortably beat Anhelina Kalinina. The Japanese player faced just two break points and won 74% of her first serve points as she won 6-3 6-3 after one hour and 24 minutes. 

Bucsa’s greater experience and ability to vary the pace should make her favourite, but Sakatsume is playing with confidence and is now on a winning streak. This could therefore be considerably tougher than the rankings suggest.

Cristina Bucsa vs Himeno Sakatsume tip: Both players to win a set