Yuliia Starodubtseva of Ukraine hits a shot to Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the second round of the 2026 French Open on Wednesday in Paris. Photo by Mohammed Badra/EPA
May 27 (UPI) -- Yulia Starodubtseva netted one of the most significant upsets of the 2026 French Open, ousting No. 2 Elena Rybakina in Wednesday's second round.
The Ukrainian, who sits at No. 55 in the WTA rankings, broke Rybakina's serve five times in the 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 triumph in Paris. She also logged 36 unforced errors, compared to 71 for Rybakina.
"I'm super happy," Starodubtseva said. "Elena is one of the top players. She's had an incredible year. I'm super proud of myself that I was able to do this today.
"It was a hard third set, but I got it done."
