China Open draw blown open as Rybakina and Sabalenka crash out
BEIJING — The China Open women’s draw has lost its two highest-ranked players in successive upsets after Aryna Sabalenka was beaten in straight sets by Nikola Bartunkova, a day after new world number one Elena Rybakina crashed out in her opening match.
Bartunkova, the 20-year-old Czech ranked 34th in the world, defeated second-seeded Sabalenka 6-4, 6-3 in one hour and 35 minutes on Sunday to reach the round of 16 in Beijing.
Sabalenka had opportunities to change the first set, including five break points in the sixth game, but Bartunkova defended them before taking control of the match. The Czech player hit four aces and maintained the pressure through the second set as frustration began to show from the four-time Grand Slam champion.
The defeat continues a difficult period for Sabalenka, who began 2026 by winning Indian Wells and Miami but has not added another title since. She reached the US Open final last month, where Rybakina defeated her 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 and subsequently replaced her at the top of the world rankings.
Bartunkova, meanwhile, secured one of the biggest victories of her career and will face Austria’s Sinja Kraus for a place in the quarterfinals.
Her victory came just a day after Rybakina suffered an even bigger ranking upset.
Playing her first match since becoming world number one and winning the US Open, Rybakina took the opening set against Alina Charaeva before the world number 118 recovered to win 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
The result made Charaeva the lowest-ranked player to defeat a reigning women’s world number one after losing the opening set since the WTA rankings were introduced in 1975. Rybakina committed seven double faults during the match, while Charaeva converted five of her eight break opportunities.
Rybakina’s early exit has since been followed by confirmation that she will miss the Wuhan Open because of a foot injury. Tournament organisers announced her withdrawal on Sunday, with the Kazakh expected to rest before attempting to return for her title defence in Ningbo.
The consecutive defeats have opened the Beijing draw considerably. Rybakina arrived as the top seed and Sabalenka as the second, but neither survived beyond their first two matches at the tournament.
For Bartunkova and Charaeva, the departures of the world’s top two players have also produced two of the tournament’s biggest opportunities, with both now advancing through a draw that looked considerably different only 48 hours earlier.
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