U.S. Open 2022: Qualifier Burel beats Wimbledon champion Rybakina in first round

Rybakina dropped six break points in the first set on her way to a first round loss at the U.S. Open

Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina suffered a 6-4 6-4 first round defeat in the U.S. Open. | Photo Credit: AFP

Clara Burel beat Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina 6-4 6-4 in the first round of the U.S. Open at Flushing Meadows on Tuesday.

Hot on the heels of Ukrainian Daria Snigur’s win over twice Grand Slam winner Simona Halep and Colombian Daniel Galan’s triumph over fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, the 131st ranked Burel produced an assured display to eliminate Rybakina.

Kazakhstan’s Rybakina squandered six of the seven break points she earned in the first set as she racked up 19 unforced errors.

Burel broke the Russian-born Rybakina in the opening game of the second set and won more than three-quarters of her first-serve points under hot and humid conditions on day two of the hardcourt major.