Elena Rybakina has crashed out in the biggest upset of the French Open so far, as she was beaten in three sets by Yuliia Starodubtseva.
The world number two was among the favourites to clinch the title at Roland-Garros this year, but despite a spirited attempt at a comeback, Starodubtseva registered the biggest win of her career in the second round.
The Ukrainian prevailed 6-3 1-6 7-6 (10-4) in two-and-a-half hours, holding her nerve to get over the finish line.
Rybakina made a string of errors throughout and dropped her serve twice in the first set to find herself 5-1 down. Though she got a break in the next game, Starodubtseva held off two more break points before taking the set.
But Rybakina ensured she would at least take the match to a decider,
reeling off five straight games at the start of the second as she found her rhythm.
Starodubtseva stormed into a 4-0 lead in the third set, but could do nothing to hold off Rybakina as she staged a comeback to level the score once more.
But, with her back against the wall, Starodubtseva held her serve twice and made no mistake in the tie-break to get across the finish line, with Rybakina unable to keep the ball on the court.
HUGE UPSET!
Yuliia Starodubtseva stuns No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina in an absolute thriller!#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/GuSWhfL2JM— wta (@WTA) May 27, 2026
Starodubtseva joins her compatriot Elina Svitolina in the third round, after the Italian Open champion stormed past Kaitlin Quevedo in straight sets, winning 6-0 6-4 in just 79 minutes.
A trio of Ukrainian players will grace the third round, as Marta Kostyuk came from behind to beat Katie Volynets 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 6-3.
Including the Billie Jean King Cup, Kostyuk is the first player to win her first 14 or more clay court matches of the season since Iga Swiatek in 2022 (the first 18 between Stuttgart and Warsaw).
Magda Linette ousted 2017 French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko in three sets to set up a meeting with four-time Roland-Garros champion Swiatek in the third round.
Their clash will be the first all-Polish meeting in the main draw (men's and women's singles included) of the clay-court during the Open Era, after Linette won 6-2 2-6 6-2.
Data Debrief: A win to remember
Starodubtseva is the first player to claim a third-set tie-break win against a top-five-seeded opponent in women's singles at Roland-Garros in the Open Era.
Rybakina had made the third round in each of the last five majors; this is the first time she has failed to reach that stage since the 2024 US Open, when she withdrew in round two.
Starodubtseva has equalled her best career result at a single grand slam event by reaching the third round, having also made it this far at the French Open last season.
