Let’s see how Staro handles the post-Rybakina period

Yuliia Starodubtseva recorded the finest victory of her career on Wednesday. In three sets and after a super tie-break won 10–4, the Ukrainian eliminated world No. 2 Elena Rybakina, certainly taking advantage of the Kazakh’s 71 unforced errors but also showing remarkable mental toughness in the key moments. Having already reached the third round at Roland-Garros last year, she confirms that Paris on clay is her preferred surface. Since the start of the season, she has reached the final of the WTA 500 in Charleston and climbed from outside the top 100 to No. 55 in the world, a steady and well-documented rise. Her first round at Roland-Garros against Anna Blinkova was wrapped up 6–3 6–1.

Wang Xiyu is a 1.82m-tall left-hander, a qualifier, who has reached the third round of a Grand Slam for the third time in her career after the 2022 US Open and now this fortnight. Her run through qualifying was solid, with wins over Mladenovic, Hunter, Kudermetova and Kovinic before entering the main draw. Her second-round match against Hailey Baptiste lasted 51 minutes before the American retired with a serious injury to her left knee, which means Wang has barely played a real match since qualifying. She also has 25 wins for only 2 losses across all tours in 2026, making her a very confident player and difficult to handle. This is their first meeting.

The disparity in ranking and Grand Slam experience clearly argues in favor of Starodubtseva, whose current momentum is at its peak after the win over Rybakina. But Wang Xiyu is a tall, powerful left-hander whose flat baseline game can cause problems on clay that is skidding through and favors straight trajectories. She also arrives physically fresh, having played only a match and a half since the start of the tournament. On a surface that has sped up this week, her flat hitting style and lefty serve are real weapons. Starodubtseva remains the favorite, but this third round is far from a formality.