Elena Rybakina battled through a tough opening match at the French Open, overcoming Argentine qualifier Julia Riera 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 to advance to the second round. The 12th seed faced unexpected resistance from Riera, who pushed her to a deciding set in nearly two hours of play.
Rybakina started strong, dominating the first set with her powerful groundstrokes and aggressive play. However, Riera responded in the second set, breaking Rybakina’s rhythm and forcing errors that allowed her to level the match. The third set saw multiple breaks of serve, with Rybakina ultimately securing the win by holding her nerve in the final games.
After the match, Rybakina admitted that it was a difficult battle, acknowledging Riera’s resilience and ability to disrupt her game. She emphasized the importance of staying composed under pressure and adjusting her strategy when faced with unexpected challenges. Despite the struggles, she expressed confidence in her ability to improve as the tournament progresses.
“Today was a difficult opponent,” Rybakina explained. “I had opportunities to maybe finish it in two sets, but she played well. I started to make some unforced errors. We went into the third one. After, it was just a fight. I’m happy that in the end it went my way.”
With this victory, Rybakina moves on to face American wildcard Iva Jovic in the second round, aiming to build momentum and refine her game on the clay courts of Roland Garros. Fans will be eager to see how she adapts and responds in the next stage of the competition.
Rybakina at the French Open, ranking, and results in 2025
Now ranked no.11, Rybakina has managed to achieve a composed 24-9 match record in 2025. The Kazakhstani is currently competing at the French Open where she defeated the world no.202 Julia Riera 6-1 4-6 6-4.
Elena Rybakina will fight against the world no.129 Iva Jovic in the 2nd round. Their record is 1-0 for Rybakina.
Elena clinched 1 title in 2025 in Strasbourg.
Rybakina won 9 titles in her career: 4 on hard courts, 4 on clay courts and 1 on grass courts. (See the list of her titles)