Elena Rybakina stormed into the second round of the French Open after defeating Belgian Greet Minnen in straight sets on Tuesday. The former Wimbledon champion secured a 6-2, 6-3 victory in just 73 minutes.
She will next face either three-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber or Dutchwoman Arantxa Rus.
“Really happy to be back and compete here,” said Rybakina, who withdrew from the tournament last year due to illness.
Ranked fourth in the world, Rybakina hails from Kazakhstan and is the only player to have beaten tournament favorite Iga Swiatek on clay this season, accomplishing this feat in the Stuttgart semifinals in April.
