Beijing, October 4, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Czech Republic’s Nikola Bartunkova produced a major upset at the China Open, defeating World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets to advance to the fourth round on Sunday.
The 20-year-old, ranked World No. 34, secured a 6-4, 6-3 victory in one hour and 35 minutes, a day after World No. 1 Elena Rybakina was also knocked out of the tournament. Bartunkova broke Sabalenka’s serve three times and did not concede a single break point, registering her second career win over a Top 10 player.
Her previous victory against a Top 10 opponent came at the 2026 Australian Open, where she defeated then-World No. 10 Belinda Bencic in the second round.
“I focused on myself to be calm. Aryna is great. She’s a legend. She’s a Grand Slam champion. I’m really happy I won the match,” Bartunkova said after the victory.
Bartunkova made an early breakthrough in the opening set by breaking Sabalenka’s serve. She then saved five break points in the sixth game to take a 4-2 lead. Although she missed three opportunities to secure another break in the following game, the Czech maintained her advantage and closed out the set 6-4, holding serve in the final two games without dropping a point.
She carried that momentum into the second set, breaking Sabalenka to move ahead 3-1. Bartunkova remained composed on serve before breaking the Belarusian again in the ninth game to seal the match 6-3.
Sabalenka’s exit continues her difficult record in Beijing, where she has failed to progress beyond the quarterfinals in five main-draw appearances.
With both top seeds eliminated, the China Open women’s draw will have no top-two seeds in the round of 16 for the first time in 12 years. The last such occurrence was in 2015, when top seed Simona Halep and second seed Petra Kvitova both failed to reach the pre-quarterfinals.
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