Kazakhstan's top tennis player Elena Rybakina (2), after celebrating her 27th birthday the day before, lost in the first round of the Berlin Open to Philippine Alexandra Eala (35) – 5:7, 4:6. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.

Interestingly, Alexander Bublik also celebrated his birthday on June 17 – his 29th. However, Kazakhstan's first racket and world No. 11 had already been eliminated by then, losing in two disciplines in the first round of his favorite tournament in Halle.

Anna Danilina also packed her racket in Berlin long before the decisive matches. And only after all Kazakhstan representatives were eliminated from ATP and WTA tournaments did our Snow Queen enter the fray.

Rybakina recently faced the 21st-ranked left-hander Eala on the clay of Rome. She won with difficulty in two sets – 6:4, 6:3. At the start of the grass-court match, Elena took a 4:1 lead with a break in 19 minutes. She made a strong statement for at least a set win, if not overall victory. Moreover, for the first time after the disaster in Paris, her coach Stefano Vukov appeared in the Kazakhstani's coaching box. Could the black streak be behind her?

Not at all. As often happens lately, after a good start, the Kazakhstani's game collapsed. The first serve disappeared, unforced errors began regularly, and the opponent skillfully took advantage. As a result, the optimistic 4:1 turned into a dismal 5:7. Eala won the set on her second set point in 47 minutes.

The second set was no better than the first. After losing her serve in the third game, Elena failed to produce a return break. 5:7, 4:6 in 1 hour 31 minutes. Even 13 aces against the opponent's four did not help. The Philippine also won in total points – 72:64.

The obvious crisis in Rybakina's game continues. Elena has lost five of her last ten matches. For the world No. 2, who is vying for the top ranking, this is hardly acceptable. Note the rankings of the opponents the Kazakhstani has recently lost to. Only Elina Svitolina is in the top 10; the rest are much lower. Incidentally, Rybakina would have faced the Ukrainian in the Berlin quarterfinals if she had beaten Eala.

The prize fund of the WTA-500 Berlin Open 2026 (sponsor name – Vanda Pharmaceuticals Berlin Tennis Open) is $1.2 million.

Over the years, the tournament, founded in 1896, has been won by Billie Jean King, Chris Evert-Lloyd, Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis, Justine Henin, Dinara Safina, and other stars.

In last year's final, Czech Marketa Vondrousova defeated Chinese Wang Xinyu – 7:6 (12:10), 4:6, 6:2. The winner is not participating in this year's tournament.

The grass-court tournament series precedes the third Grand Slam of the calendar year. Wimbledon 2026 will take place from June 29 to July 12.