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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Sport
Jamie Braidwood

Huge shock at French Open as Australian Open champion suffers second-round exit

  • Elena Rybakina, the second seed and Australian Open champion, was eliminated from the French Open after a three-set defeat to Ukraine's Yuliia Starodubtseva in what is considered the biggest upset of the tournament so far.
  • World No 55 Yuliia Starodubtseva secured her first top-10 victory and the biggest win of her career, overcoming Rybakina with a score of 3-6 6-1 7-6 (10-4) in challenging, hot conditions .
  • Despite being a former Wimbledon champion and having won a clay-court title this year, Rybakina's early exit means she has still not progressed beyond the quarter-finals at Roland Garros in eight attempts.
  • Rybakina's defeat is significant as she had the potential to replace Aryna Sabalenka as world No 1 depending on their performances in Paris, and her departure removes a key competitor from four-time champion Iga Swiatek’s side of the draw.
  • Starodubtseva's victory marks her second consecutive year reaching the third round of the French Open, and she is now one of three Ukrainian players, alongside Elina Svitolina and Marta Kostyuk, to advance to this stage in the women’s singles draw.

IN FULL

Second seed Elena Rybakina crashes out in biggest upset of French Open

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