BEIJING — No. 34 Nikola Bartunkova stunned world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 6-3 at the WTA 1000 China Open in Beijing, knocking the second seed out before the round of 16 and continuing her breakthrough season.
Bartunkova held firm against the former world No. 1, who failed to convert any of her five break points and threw her racquet after falling a break down early in the second set. "I focused on myself, to be calm," Bartunkova said. "She's a legend, so I'm really happy that I won the match." She will face Austria's Sinja Kraus next.
The upset followed top seed Elena Rybakina's exit a day earlier to Armenian world No. 118 Alina Charaeva. Rybakina had defeated Sabalenka in last month's US Open final and replaced the Belarusian at the top of the rankings. It is the first time since 2015 that the top two seeds have failed to reach the round of 16 at the China Open. Sabalenka, who has lost six consecutive matches after dropping the first set, has not won a title since completing the 'Sunshine Double' at Indian Wells and the Miami Open back-to-back in March and will finish without a Grand Slam trophy for the first time since 2022.
At the Japan Open in Tokyo, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz reached the semi-finals after Denis Shapovalov retired with an injury to his right thigh. Alcaraz saved a set point in the opening set and was leading 7-6 (7-3), 2-1 when the Canadian withdrew. It is just Alcaraz's third event since returning from a wrist injury at last month's US Open, where he fell to Ben Shelton in the quarter-finals. He will face fellow Spaniard Jaume Munar for a place in the final.