What Yuliia Starodubtseva did at French Open on May 27,2026 was honestly one of those tennis results where you look twice at scoreline . Beating Elena Rybakina,the No.2 seed,is already huge,but doing it after losing first set makes it even more mad.
Match happened on iconic Court Suzanne-Lenglen,so stage was not small ah . Starodubtseva came in ranked No.55 in world and before this match,she had 0-6 record against top-10 opponents . So on paper,this was supposed to be very tough day for her .
And it started exactly like that only . Rybakina broke early,took 3-0 lead in first set and looked fully in control . With her chance to move toward world No.1 position in WTA rankings,this felt like match she would just manage from front .
But then second set changed whole mood . Starodubtseva suddenly found rhythm,started hitting cleaner,and broke Rybakina twice to take it 6-1 . From 3-6 down in first set to bossing second set like that… proper comeback energy.
Few things standing out clearly in this match:
- Starodubtseva won 3-6,6-1,7-6(10-4),biggest victory of her career.
- Match lasted 2 hours and 28 minutes on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.
- Rybakina finished with 71 unforced errors against just 23 winners .
Third set was full drama . Starodubtseva first went 3-0 up,then Rybakina pulled it back to 4-4 and showed why she is among top players . In tiebreak also,Starodubtseva led 6-2,but Rybakina’s experience kept dragging match into tense zone.
And tbh,this is where Starodubtseva holding nerve becomes biggest part of story . Final 7-6(10-4) tells you it was not some easy upset,it was pressure,panic,reset,again pressure . She still survived all of it.
After match,she said,"Honestly,it’s hard to describe. I’m super happy. Elena is one of the top players and has had incredible year." That reaction feels very real because for player ranked No.55,beating No.2 seed at French Open is career-shifting kind of moment .
Now Starodubtseva will face either Hailey Baptiste or Wang Xiyu in next round,and suddenly her side of draw feels more interesting . For Rybakina though,those 71 unforced errors are not small thing,especially at tournament where she had bigger ranking possibilities sitting in front of her.
This is why tennis stays unpredictable . One day player is chasing world No.1 possibility,next day someone with 0-6 top-10 record walks in and flips whole script…
