PARIS — Yuliia Starodubtseva upset Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina in the second round of the French Open on Wednesday, winning 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4) at Roland Garros.
Starodubtseva, ranked No. 55 in the world, recorded her first career victory over a top-10 opponent after rallying from a set down against the world No. 2.
The Ukrainian player advanced to the third round, where she will face Wang Xiyu for a place in the last 16.
Rybakina took control early on Court Suzanne Lenglen and opened a 5-1 lead before claiming the first set.
Starodubtseva responded by winning the first five games of the second set and forcing a deciding third set.
Rybakina fell behind by two breaks early in the final set before recovering to level the score at 4-4. Starodubtseva later held serve in the 12th game to force a tiebreak.
The tiebreak opened with a double fault from Rybakina, and Starodubtseva moved ahead 6-2 before sealing the victory on her second match point after Rybakina hit a forehand wide.
The defeat marked Rybakina’s earliest exit from a WTA tournament since the 2025 Miami Open and her first loss in the opening two rounds of a Grand Slam event since the 2024 Australian Open.
After the match, Rybakina said she committed too many unforced errors despite entering the tournament in good form.
Rybakina also addressed the mid-match departure of coach Stefano Vukov, saying he left due to illness. Vukov returned to coaching after appealing a previous suspension imposed by the WTA over findings of abusive behavior toward the player.
