Reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina has crashed out of the US Open, with unseeded qualifier Clara Burel knocking her out in the first round at Flushing Meadows.
No. 25 seed Rybakina, who was born in Russia but represents Kazakhstan, suffered a 6-4 6-4 straight sets defeat on Wednesday morning AEST, joining a long list of shock upsets in the opening round in New York.
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The 23-year-old botched six of the seven break points she earned in the opening set, registering 19 unforced errors in a lacklustre performance.
Burel, who is ranked No. 131 in the world, broke in the fifth and ninth games to clinch the first set and put Rybakina on the back foot.
And former junior world number one Burel rattled the Kazakh by winning the opening…
