Belinda Bencic and Yulia Putintseva meet in the first round at US Open on Tuesday. Belinda Bencic is rolling — 3 straight wins, 8 of 10 in recent play. Yulia Putintseva limps in on a 3-match losing skid, just 5 wins in 10.

The serve is where this match separates: Bencic has been winning 66.3% of first-serve points to Putintseva's 60%, and on hard that gap compounds fast. The edge belongs to Bencic — real, but not the kind you take for granted at this level.