How 'exposed' Elena Rybakina became biggest French Open casualty after 'horrible' performance against Yuliia Starodubtseva

Australian Open champion Rybakina won the opening set, but Starodubtseva battled back to claim the first top-10 victory of her career, 3-6 6-1 7-6(4).

Second seed Rybakina committed 71 unforced errors and made just 53% of her first serves as she seemed to struggle in the hot conditions.

”The movement of Rybakina is exposed on a hot day like this because it’s a lot drier and the clay is more slippery,” explained TNT Sports expert Mats Wilander.

”She moves much better on a wet clay court or in the evening. When you see her play like this there’s a big difference between [world No. 1 Aryna] Sabalenka and Rybakina. If Rybakina plays at her absolute best she might be up there with the very best in the world, but when she is not playing well it’s well below the level of someone like Sabalenka, and she was exposed today.”

Clay has been the least successful of Rybakina’s career so far and only twice has she reached the French Open quarter-finals in eight appearances.

She had, though, won on clay in Stuttgart in April, and has recorded a tour-leading 31 wins this season on all surfaces.

”It’s just a pity,” said Rybakina.

”Because I think I was practising well before the French Open, and I was feeling good in the practices and thought that I can raise the level, but actually today it was a very bad performance, too many unforced errors, and I didn't feel the greatest. 

”I was trying to find a way, but it clearly didn't work.”

Rybakina will now turn her attention to the grass swing, where she will be one of the favourites with her big serve and groundstrokes.

Wilander thinks Rybakina will be able to move on quickly from her early French Open exit, but questioned whether she needs to add more strings to her game.

”Absolutely expect it to be pushed aside, especially when you have the excuse that it was so hot.

”But I think it questions her style of play a bit. Maybe she needs to work on coming to the net more or hitting a sliced backhand, for these days when things are not working you need to have a Plan B and a Plan C. 

”Rybakina is very happy with her Plan A, but if that doesn’t work, she doesn’t seem to be wanting to go to Plan B.”

TNT Sports expert Anne Keothavong said it was a "horrible performance" from Rybakina, and thought the second seed would ”find a way” to battle through despite not being at her best.

”She wants to play on the front foot and on her terms, but she didn’t get the balance right today, for whatever reasons,” she said.

”I am sure the conditions played a part. Her opponent, the way she was able to retrieve and put a lot of shape and spin on the ball, made it difficult. But for a Grand Slam champion, you would expect her to find a way even when playing badly on her least favourite surface.”

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