The shock of the day at Roland-Garros has a name: Yuliia Starodubtseva. The world No. 55 from Ukraine knocked out Elena Rybakina, the second seed and reigning Australian Open champion, in the second round with a 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(4) victory. A result that reshapes the entire women's draw.
Rybakina had made the better start. The opening set, taken 6-3, seemed to settle the favourite into the match. Her forehand was firing, her raw power overwhelming Starodubtseva on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.
The second set told a completely different story. Starodubtseva raised her level dramatically, inflicting a 6-1 rout on the Grand Slam champion. Rybakina's game began to unravel, unforced errors piling up at an alarming rate.
The decider lived up to its billing. Rybakina appeared to seize control, recovering from a double break down at 0-3 to lead 6-5 and serve for the match. Six of the next eight games fell her way. But Starodubtseva held firm, producing a composed service game at 15 to force the tiebreak. There, the Ukrainian was ruthless: 10-4, without a hint of nerves.
The statistics paint a damning picture for Rybakina: 71 unforced errors against just 23 winners. A devastating ratio, unworthy of a player of her calibre. Starodubtseva, less powerful with 13 winners, excelled through consistency and composure in the clutch moments.
For the 24-year-old Starodubtseva, this represents the pinnacle of her career. She had been 0-6 in matches against top-10 opponents before Wednesday. Her reaction at match point, hands covering her face and tears in her eyes, captured the magnitude of the achievement.
Following 's first-round exit (No.5 seed), a second major seed departs Paris early. The path opens further for and , now the undisputed favourites in their respective halves of the draw.
