World number two Elena Rybakina suffered a surprise second-round defeat by 55th-ranked Yuliia Starodubtseva in the biggest French Open upset so far.
Despite winning the opening set, Rybakina looked far from her clinical best as Starodubtseva mounted an impressive comeback to win 3-6 6-1 7-6 (10-4).
Known for her big serve and precise hitting, reigning Australian Open champion Rybakina committed 71 unforced errors and landed just 53% of her first serves.
It is the first time Kazakhstan’s Rybakina has failed to reach the third round at the Paris major since 2020, while it is her earliest exit from a Grand Slam since the 2024 Australian Open.
Rybakina’s early exit also means Aryna Sabalenka will keep her world number one ranking regardless of her result at Roland Garros.
The 26-year-old needed to be reach the semi-finals to be in with a chance of ending Sabalenka’s near-two-year reign at the top of rankings.
“It’s just a pity, because I think I was practising well before the French Open,” said Rybakina.
“Today it was a very bad performance with too many unforced errors.”
