Sabalenka suffers shock China Open exit, falls to Bartunkova in straight sets

Aryna Sabalenka (AP Photo)

World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka suffered a shock third-round exit at the China Open on Sunday, losing 6-4, 6-3 to Czech Republic’s Nikola Bartunkova. The 34th-ranked Bartunkova produced one of the biggest upsets of the tournament, defeating the four-time Grand Slam champion in one hour and 34 minutes.

The Czech hit four aces and capitalised on Sabalenka’s struggles to close out a straight-sets victory.Sabalenka had five break-point opportunities in the opening set but was unable to convert any of them. Bartunkova, meanwhile, stayed composed on the big points and secured the only break she needed to take the first set 6-4.The Czech continued to dictate the contest in the second set, breaking Sabalenka and maintaining her advantage to close out the match 6-3.

The defeat continues Sabalenka’s difficult record at the Beijing tournament. The Belarusian has never progressed beyond the quarterfinals at the China Open.

Top two seeds now out

Sabalenka arrived in Beijing looking to bounce back from her US Open disappointment, where she was denied a third consecutive title by Elena Rybakina. However, Rybakina herself suffered a surprise defeat earlier in Beijing, losing to unseeded Alina Charaeva in the second round.

The early exits of the top two seeds mean neither Rybakina nor Sabalenka will feature in the latter stages of the WTA 1000 tournament. The China Open is being played on hard courts in Beijing from September 30 to October 11. Bartunkova will next face Austria’s Sinja Kraus, who defeated Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska 6-1, 6-4.

The Czech will now have an opportunity to extend her breakthrough run in Beijing after taking down one of the tournament’s biggest names.In the men’s draw, top seed Alexander Zverev is scheduled to face Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals. Djokovic reached the last eight after maintaining his perfect record at the China Open, while Zverev entered the clash after progressing through his section of the draw.