Fran Jones out of French Open after fightback against Marie Bouzkova falls short

Even with the early exit of "Queen Wen" catching fans off guard, Chinese tennis has swung off its French Open campaign with plenty to cheer about, as a group of its elite players launched their major comeback with flying colors in Paris.

Russian-born Kazakh Rybakina arrived at Roland Garros as the second seed following her Australian Open victory in January and earned ​her tour-leading 31st match victory after dismantling Veronika Erjavec in the opening round.

It is Rybakina's earliest exit from any WTA tournament since the 2025 Miami Open and first defeat in the opening two rounds of a major since the 2024 Australian Open.

Ukraine's Yuliia Starodubtseva won a surprise victory over world number two Elena Rybakina on Wednesday, knocking her out of the French Open after the Kazakh player blew a one-set lead under the sweltering sun.