Bartunkova Stuns Sabalenka At China Open As Top Two Seeds Exit Early

Belarusian world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka became the latest high-profile casualty at the China Open, losing 6-4, 6-3 to 34th-ranked Nikola Bartunkova in a surprise result.

Sabalenka’s exit came a day after top seed Elena Rybakina was also eliminated. Rybakina, who defeated Sabalenka in last month’s US Open final and replaced her as world No. 1, lost to Armenia’s Alina Charaeva, ranked 118th.

Czech player Bartunkova produced another upset at the WTA 1000 tournament, extending her breakthrough season. She will next meet Austria’s Sinja Kraus.

“I focused on myself, to be calm,” Bartunkova said. “She’s a legend, so I’m really happy that I won the match.”

The China Open has not seen both of its top two seeds fail to reach the round of 16 since 2015.

Sabalenka has not lifted a title since March, when she completed the Sunshine Double by winning Indian Wells and Miami in consecutive weeks. By her lofty standards, the year has been uneven: she will finish without a Grand Slam title for the first time since 2022, and she has frequently let her frustration show on court.

Against Bartunkova, Sabalenka could not convert any of her five break points and threw her racquet after dropping serve early in the second set.