Sab joins Rybakina on outer

By the Editorial Team · Monday, October 5, 2026

Czech player Nikola Bartunkova upset second seed Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets during the China Open third round, marking her biggest career victory and advancing her to the quarterfinals. This result, along with the early exit of top seed Elena Rybakina, has cleared the path for lower-ranked players to make deep runs in the tournament.

Czech player Nikola Bartunkova delivered a significant upset at the China Open on Sunday by defeating second seed Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, in the third round. The 20-year-old, ranked 34th, overcame challenging conditions marked by alternating cold wind and bright sun across the court. Bartunkova’s strong serving was a key factor, as she won 82.8% of her first serve points and saved all five break points she faced. Sabalenka, a four-time Grand Slam champion from Belarus, struggled to convert five break point opportunities in the first set and managed only a 53.1% win rate on her first serves.

This result came shortly after the top seed and newly crowned world No. 1 Elena Rybakina was eliminated in the second round, leaving the tournament without its top two seeds within the opening week. Rybakina, from Kazakhstan, was ousted by Alina Charaeva on Saturday. Sabalenka had been bidding to build on her strong form following a recent runner-up finish at the U.S. Open but has faced historic difficulties progressing beyond the quarterfinals in Beijing.

Bartunkova, making only her WTA 1000 debut this year, described the victory as the biggest of her career. She now advances to face Austria’s Sinja Kraus, who secured a straight-sets win over Dayana Yastremska earlier in the day.

Other notable results on the women’s side included victories for fifth seed Mirra Andreeva and seventh seed Karolina Muchova. Andreeva, the French Open champion, defeated Polina Kudermetova 6-4, 6-1, while Muchova came from a set down to beat Russia’s Liudmila Samsonova 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. Naomi Osaka, seeded 12th, also progressed after a hard-fought win over Czech player Sara Bejlek in two sets, 7-6 (4), 6-4.

On the men’s side, Australia’s Alex de Minaur advanced to the semifinals with a comeback victory over Russian Andrey Rublev, 1-6, 6-2, 6-3. He will face Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, who defeated Karen Khachanov 7-6 (7-2), 6-2 in the quarterfinals. Novak Djokovic extended his unbeaten run at the China Open to a perfect 32-0 with a three-set quarterfinal win over world No. 2 Alexander Zverev, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. Djokovic is aiming for his seventh title at the Beijing event and will next meet Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals.

Meanwhile, Germany’s Zverev had earlier advanced with a straightforward 6-0, 6-3 win over local hopeful Shang Juncheng before falling to Djokovic. The tournament continues to showcase high-level competition with several early-round upsets marking this year’s event.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.