World number two Aryna Sabalenka’s campaign at the China Open concluded with a surprise defeat against 34th-ranked Nikola Bartunkova, marking the second consecutive day that the tournament’s top seed has exited in the early rounds.
The loss follows a previous upset by top seed Elena Rybakina, who was eliminated the day before by Armenian qualifier Alina Charaeva. This marks the first time since 2015 that both the top two seeds have failed to reach the quarter-finals at the Beijing event.
Bartunkova secured the victory with a straight-sets win, 6-4, 6-3, continuing her impressive breakthrough season at the WTA 1000 event. She will advance to face Austria’s Sinja Kraus in the next round.
“I focused on myself, to be calm,” Bartunkova said after the match. “She’s a legend, so I’m really happy that I won the match.”
For Sabalenka, the result extends a poor run of form. She has now lost six consecutive matches whenever she drops the first set. The Belarusian has not won a title since achieving the “Sunshine Double” in March by claiming back-to-back crowns at Indian Wells and the Miami Open.
Sabalenka’s year has been inconsistent by her elevated standards. She is set to finish without a Grand Slam trophy for the first time since 2022 and has frequently struggled with on-court discipline. During the match against Bartunkova, she was unable to convert any of her five break point opportunities and became visibly frustrated, throwing her racquet after falling behind in the second set.
In other tennis news from the region, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz reached the semi-finals at the Japan Open in Tokyo after his opponent, Denis Shapovalov, retired with a right thigh injury. Alcaraz, making just his third appearance since recovering from a wrist injury at the US Open, saved a set point in the opening set and led 7-6 (7-3), 2-1 when the Canadian withdrew. He will now face fellow Spaniard Jaume Munar for a spot in the final.
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