French Open shock: World No. 2 Elena Rybakina crashes out in second round against Ukraine's Yuliia Starodubtseva

The upset

Elena Rybakina, the world number two and reigning Australian Open champion, was sent spinning out of Roland Garros in the second round by Ukrainian Yuliia Starodubtseva. The Kazakh player started strongly, taking the first set 6-3, but her game unravelled as Starodubtseva stormed through the second set 6-1. In a tense decider, Starodubtseva raced to a 3-0 lead with a double break, only for Rybakina to fight back to 4-4 and force a deciding super tie-break. The Ukrainian dominated the breaker, winning 10-4 and sealing the biggest victory of her career on her second match point when Rybakina sent a forehand wide.

Honestly it's hard to describe, I'm super happy. Elena is one of the top players. She's had an incredible year. I'm super proud of myself that I was able to do this. It was a hard third set, but I got it done.

Rybakina's struggles

The 26-year-old committed a staggering 71 unforced errors during the two-and-a-half-hour contest, including eight in the decisive tie-break. Speaking after the match, Rybakina acknowledged she lacked energy and struggled to find the right balance on her shots. The record-high temperatures at Roland Garros, with 33°C measured in the shade, added to the difficulty. Rybakina noted that the heat made the ball fly faster and harder to control, especially against an opponent playing with pace.

I wouldn't say I felt very bad physically, because I've had matches where I felt worse. But I definitely lacked energy, I couldn't find the right balance when hitting the ball.

Starodubtseva's breakthrough

This was Starodubtseva's first career win over a top-10 opponent, having previously gone 0-6 in such matches. The 26-year-old, ranked 55th in the world, matched her best Grand Slam performance by reaching the third round for the second consecutive year at Roland Garros. She will next face American Hailey Baptiste or China's Wang Xiyu for a place in the last 16. Starodubtseva admitted she never felt comfortable even with a commanding lead, knowing Rybakina's ability to mount a comeback.

You can't be thinking it's ever going to be easy, even at 3-0 up in the decider, I had a feeling it wasn't going to be easy. That was so!

Other results

While Rybakina faltered, other top seeds advanced safely. Four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek cruised past Czech player Sara Bejlek 6-2, 6-3, and world number seven Elina Svitolina defeated Spanish qualifier Kaitlin Quevedo 6-0, 6-4. In the men's draw, Novak Djokovic battled past Frenchman Valentin Royer 6-3, 6-2, 6-7, 6-3 in a match lasting three hours and 47 minutes. Earlier in the tournament, another Kazakh player, world number 10 Alexander Bublik, also exited in the first round against Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff.

Ranking implications

Rybakina's early exit means Aryna Sabalenka will remain world number one after the tournament regardless of her own result in Paris. Rybakina could drop to third place if Iga Swiatek goes on to win the title. This marks Rybakina's earliest Grand Slam defeat since the second round of the 2024 US Open and her first loss before the third round of a major since the 2024 Australian Open.