Rybakina exits early as Ukrainian players surge at Roland Garros
A cascade of unforced errors ended the Australian Open champion’s campaign on a sweltering afternoon in Paris, opening the door for others to seize momentum.
Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina crashed out in the biggest upset so far at Roland Garros. The second-ranked Rybakina was beaten by 55th-ranked Ukrainian opponent Yuliia Starodubtseva 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4) in the second round of the French Open on Wednesday. After a routine first set the Kazakh player watched her error count climb past her winners as the slow clay punished every slight misstep.
Practice sessions fail to translate
Rybakina committed 71 unforced errors while falling to her earliest Grand Slam exit since a second-round loss at the 2024 US Open. Inside-out attempts landed wide and crosscourt drives found the net as the ball sat up higher than expected. She tried to reset behind a one–two pattern but returns kept arriving deeper, exposing the gap between practice rhythm and match reality.
“it’s just a pity because I think I was practicing well before the French Open and I was feeling also good in the practices and thought that I can raise the level. But actually today it was a very bad performance, too many unforced errors, and I didn’t feel the greatest. So I was trying to find a way, but it clearly didn’t work.”
On a big day for Ukraine, also advancing were Elina Svitolina and Marta Kostyuk, who are coming off titles at the Madrid Open and Italian Open, respectively. The seventh-seeded Svitolina beat Kaitlin Quevedo 6-0, 6-4 to extend her winning streak to eight matches. The 15th-seeded Kostyuk beat Katie Volynets 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-3 to extend her winning streak to 13 matches.
Patience keeps Swiatek in control
Iga Swiatek improved her career record at Roland Garros to 42-3 by eliminating 35th-ranked Sara Bejlek 6-2, 6-3. The four-time champion stayed patient on crosscourt rallies and only accelerated when the opponent overextended. She noted that control stayed with her in key moments because she chose when to finish points.
Swiatek next faces Magda Linette in the first all-Polish meeting at Roland Garros in the professional era (since 1968). Linette eliminated 2017 champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 after finding sharper angles on her backhand slice that disrupted rhythm. On Court 6, Hailey Baptiste was forced to retire while facing a set point against Wang Xiyu after landing awkwardly on her left leg. Also, 11th-seeded Belinda Bencic beat American Caty McNally 6-4, 6-0.
Clay rewards measured retrievals
The psychological thread running through the day showed how accumulated fatigue can erode even the cleanest practice sessions. Rybakina’s early departure leaves open questions about how the remaining schedule will test mental reserves for the rest of the clay swing. Ukrainian players carried fresher legs and clearer intent, turning extended rallies into advantages rather than liabilities. Swiatek’s measured approach suggests the field still faces a high bar even after the early shock.