Bartunkova sends Sabalenka out of China Open in straight sets

Nikola Bartunkova produced a major upset at the China Open on Sunday, defeating second seed Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets to reach the round of 16. The 34th-ranked Czech won 6-4, 6-3 in one hour and 35 minutes, leaving the Beijing tournament without its top two women’s seeds. Elena Rybakina, who had recently replaced Sabalenka as world number one, was eliminated by Alina Charaeva in the second round on Saturday.

Bartunkova, 20, struck four aces and maintained her composure against the four-time Grand Slam champion. She next faces Austria’s Sinja Kraus. Sabalenka missed five break opportunities in the sixth game of the opening set.

Bartunkova defended strongly and continued to send deep shots, preventing the Belarusian from establishing control. The match was played in changing conditions as the players moved between shade and sunlight. Sabalenka wore a cap during the eighth game of the first set, but Bartunkova continued to hold the advantage.

Sabalenka’s frustration increased in the second set. She threw her racquet after falling a break behind in the fourth game and then lost the match on the first match point when her return went into the net. Bartunkova said she had focused on staying calm and concentrating on her own performance.

She called Sabalenka a legend and said she was very happy to have won. The China Open programme also included a men’s quarterfinal between top seed Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic. Djokovic entered that match with an unbeaten run in Beijing, while Zverev, the previous month’s US Open champion, was pursuing the top men’s ranking.