Second seed Elena Rybakina crashed out of the French Open in a stunning three-set defeat to Ukraine's Yuliia Starodubtseva, marking the biggest upset of the tournament so far. The Australian Open champion appeared on course for the third round after winning the opening set, but Starodubtseva turned the match around in a lengthy battle under gruelling heat.
The world number 55 built on a dominant second set to earn a double-break in the third, but Rybakina fought back to force a deciding match tiebreak. However, Starodubtseva seized control early in the tiebreak, closing out a 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (10-4) victory. This marks the biggest win of her career and her first triumph over a top-10 opponent.
Rybakina's Roland Garros Struggles Continue
Rybakina could have replaced Aryna Sabalenka as world number one depending on their performances in Paris, but she has yet to progress beyond the quarter-finals at Roland Garros in eight attempts. The former Wimbledon champion had won a clay-court title this year in Stuttgart, but her early exit removes a potential obstacle from four-time champion Iga Swiatek's side of the draw.
Starodubtseva Joins Ukrainian Contingent
The 26-year-old Starodubtseva equals her best career result by reaching the third round of the French Open for a second consecutive year. She becomes the third Ukrainian player to advance to the third round of the women's singles draw at Roland Garros, following seventh seed and Italian Open champion Elina Svitolina and 15th seed and Madrid Open champion Marta Kostyuk.
More to follow.
