The China Open field was left without its top two seeds on Sunday after Aryna Sabalenka suffered a surprise third-round exit at the hands of 34th-ranked Nikola Bartunkova. The 20-year-old Czech player controlled the match to secure a 6-4, 6-3 victory in one hour and 35 minutes, aided by four aces.
Reflecting on her win against the former world number one, Bartunkova noted, “I focused on myself, to be calm. She’s a legend … so I’m really happy that I won the match.” She is now set to face Austria’s Sinja Kraus in the round of 16. Sabalenka’s defeat followed the second-round elimination of top seed Elena Rybakina, who was knocked out by Alina Charaeva on Saturday. Top seed Elena Rybakina – who weeks earlier replaced Sabalenka as World No 1 – was ousted by Alina Charaeva in the second round on Saturday.
Sabalenka struggled to gain momentum throughout the contest. In the first set, she failed to convert five break points during the sixth game and later donned a cap to navigate shifting sunlight. Her frustration boiled over in the fourth game of the second set when she threw her racquet after falling a break behind, ultimately losing the match on the first match point when her return found the net. But it did not turn the tide in her favour, the 28-year-old from Belarus threw on a cap for the eighth game of the first set as the women switched between playing in the shade and the sun.
Action continues at the Beijing event with the men’s competition. Top seed Alexander Zverev, the reigning US Open champion, is scheduled to face Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals. The 39-year-old Serbian enters the clash carrying an unbeaten streak in the city as both players compete for the top spot in the world rankings.
