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China Open sees top seeds Rybakina and Sabalenka eliminated
The China Open WTA 1000 tournament has seen major upsets as both the top two seeds were eliminated in the opening week. World number one Elena Rybakina suffered a second-round defeat to 118th-ranked Alina Charaeva, losing 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. Rybakina cited physical exhaustion and a lack of recovery time following her US Open victory as contributing factors.
Following Rybakina's exit, second seed Aryna Sabalenka was also knocked out in the third round by 20-year-old Czech player Nikola Bartunkova. Bartunkova secured a 6-4, 6-3 victory, capitalizing on Sabalenka's missed opportunities, including five failed break points in the first set.
Other notable performances include Coco Gauff advancing to the round of 16 with a 7-5, 6-1 win over Xinran Sun, and Iga Swiatek mounting a comeback victory against Donna Vekic. In the men's draw, Alexander Zverev moved into the quarterfinals after defeating Shang Juncheng, setting up a high-profile match against Novak Djokovic.
Entities
Alina Charaeva · Aryna Sabalenka · China Open · China Open · Elena Rybakina · Iga Świątek · Nikola Bartunkova · WTA 1000 Beijing