Elena Rybakina crashes as the scorching heat of Paris turns the French Open into a test of survival

Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan (AP Photo) Paris: There were places to perform on the courts – Philippe-Chatrier, Suzanne-Lenglen and Simone-Mathieu – but not a shred of shade on the 34 acres of Roland Garros lay unoccupied on Wednesday, another 30-plus degree French Open day amid an unprecedented heat wave.On the court, matches swung wildly and sets were lopsided as the players battled with energy and concentration. However, it was a different test of endurance for the audience. Hats, sunglasses and paper fans were out, as were glasses in hand – beer, wine or water – as they faced daylight conditions that stretched like the Seine until almost 10pm.It was the kind of day that carried a feeling of excitement.The female favorites mostly held their own, but second seed Elena Rybakina dropped out of the women’s draw.The 26-year-old Australian Open champion, who appeared to be bothered by the heat and conditions, lost 6-3, 1-6, 6-7 (4-10) to inspired Ukrainian Yulia Starodubtseva. Rybakina, who had lost nine of her last 10 games after the first set, barely made it through the second and early stages of the decider where she trailed 0-3.“I won’t say I felt really bad physically. There were matches when I felt worse,” Rybakina said. “The energy definitely wasn’t there. I just couldn’t find the right balance on the ball. It was very slippery. I was just putting my feet in some moments, but it was all out of rhythm. Hard to say. It wasn’t too bad in practice.”However, the afternoon belonged to the Ukrainians. “Honestly, it’s hard to describe. I’m super happy,” said 26-year-old Starodubtseva. “Elena is one of the best players. She’s had an incredible year. I’m extremely proud of myself for doing it today. It was a tough third set, but I did it.”Four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek, who beat Czech Sara Bejlek 6-2, 6-3 to reach the third round, said he needed some getting used to the conditions. The Pole, who turns 25 on Sunday, said: “Sometimes I made some mistakes when playing high balls because the ball was jumping quite high. It was not easy to judge if it was the one you should go for or hold back and wait for the next one.”Poland’s Magda Linette did Swiatek a favor by knocking out her opponent Jelena Ostapenko to set up a third-round meeting with her third-seeded compatriot.Earlier at Lenglen, 13th-seeded Karen Khachanov looked on the limit, but the 6-foot-6 Russian held on for nearly four hours to record a 7-6, 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (4) win over Marco Trungelliti, who at 36 is the oldest man to debut in the top 100 at the Open Errangel.“It’s the hottest May in Paris for a long time,” said the 30-year-old Russian. “For players’ matches to become more physical, you have to be mentally strong, that’s the dynamic of the match. Sometimes players have drops in energy and concentration, so it’s extremely important to hydrate and use ice towels. The conditions are also much faster, the ball bounces higher.”Eleventh seed Andrey Rublev took to the court intent on keeping things fast against Argentina’s Camilo Ugo Carabelli, who made it a point to put every ball back into play and drag Rublev back and forth.“I knew if I wanted to win, I would have to be the one to dictate,” he said after the 6-1, 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3) win. “Moments like when I relaxed a little bit or when I was tight, he immediately took advantage. When I could focus more and go for the shot, I had opportunities.