Yuliia Starodubtseva pulls off a French Open shock, dispatching second seed Elena Rybakina

The first major shock of the Roland-Garros 2026 women’s draw came on Wednesday when second seed Elena Rybakina crashed out in the second round after a dramatic 6-3, 1-6, 6-7 (4-10) defeat to world No. 55 Yulia Starodubtseva. Ukraine’s Starodubtseva held her nerve in a tense tiebreak of the deciding set to pull off the biggest win of her career.

French Open: Update

The result opens the women’s draw in Paris with one of the pre-tournament favourites reigning Australian Open champion Rybakina departs much earlier than expected.

“It’s honestly hard to describe. I’m super happy. Elena is one of the best players. She’s had an incredible year. I’m super proud of myself for doing it today,” Starodubtseva said after the match.

The 26-year-old Starodubtseva recovered from the loss of the opening set and steadily turned the match against the Kazakh of Russian origin. She took advantage of Rybakina’s increasing number of forehand errors and looked increasingly comfortable as the rallies lengthened on the outdoor clay courts.

However, Rybakina did not go quietly. After trailing 0-3 in the deciding set, the second seed clawed her way back into the match and eventually leveled at 5-5, threatening to break the momentum of the Ukrainian.

“It was a difficult third set, but I managed it,” added Starodubtseva.

When asked how to handle a comeback from the multiple Grand Slam champion, Starodubtseva admitted that she expected resistance from a player of Rybakin’s caliber.

“I feel like someone like Lena (Elena), I expect that from her. She’s one of the best players. You can’t think it’s going to be easy today. Even at 3-0, I felt it might not be that easy. A tough match, but I’m happy to be the winner today,” she added.

A CAREER-DEFINING BREAKTHROUGH

Elena Rybakina suffered a shock loss to 55th-ranked Yulia Starodubtseva (Photo Reuters)

Despite a brief loss of conviction on Rybakina’s forays during Rybakina’s return, Starodubtseva rediscovered her composure at crucial moments. She twice held serve under immense pressure before producing a calm and aggressive display in the 10-point tiebreak, pinning Rybakin deep behind the baseline and forcing more errors from the favourite.

For Starodubtseva, the victory marks a breakthrough moment in the biggest stage of her career. The 26-year-old has never beaten a player of Rybakin’s stature at a Grand Slam before and now heads into the third round in Paris with growing confidence.

For Rybaka, the defeat raises fresh questions about her consistency on clay, although she entered the tournament in good form after winning the Australian Open and the title in Stuttgart. While she showed flashes of her best tennis during her third-set comeback, early mistakes and a struggle to maintain control in the longer games proved costly in the end.

– The end

Published on:

27 May 2026 22:15 IST