World No. 2 Elena Rybakina was eliminated from the French Open on Wednesday after losing to Ukraine's Yuliia Starodubtseva in the second round [1].
The defeat marks a significant upset in the tournament, as Rybakina entered the event as the No. 2 seed and the reigning Australian Open champion [2]. Her early exit removes one of the primary favorites from the draw at Roland-Garros.
The match concluded in a third-set tiebreak [3]. Starodubtseva, 26 years old [4], delivered a career-best performance to overcome the higher-ranked Rybakina in Paris [5].
Throughout the contest, the Ukrainian player maintained pressure against the world No. 2 [6]. The result ensures Starodubtseva's advancement to the third round of the tournament [7]. Rybakina's exit is one of the most unexpected results of the competition so far, a stark contrast to her success earlier this year in Australia [2].
The victory for Starodubtseva comes during a period of intense competition at the 2026 French Open. By defeating the second seed, she has established herself as a dangerous underdog in the remaining rounds [5]. Rybakina now faces a period of recovery and analysis to determine where her game faltered on the clay courts of Paris [1].
“World No. 2 Elena Rybakina was eliminated from the French Open”
Rybakina's early departure creates a wide-open draw for the remaining seeds and underscores the volatility of clay-court tennis. For Starodubtseva, this victory represents a career milestone that could propel her ranking upward and establish her as a contender in major tournaments.
