World No 2 Aryna Sabalenka suffered a shock straight-sets defeat at the China Open in Beijing on Sunday, losing 6-4, 6-3 to 20-year-old Czech star Nikola Bartunkova. The four-time Grand Slam champion was visibly frustrated, throwing her racquet across the court during the match.
The defeat means the tournament is now without its top-two seeds, coming just a day after world number one Elena Rybakina also crashed out. Sabalenka was unable to close ground in the race for the world number one spot with a frustrating performance.
Frustration on Court
The Belarusian bounced her racquet off the ground twice during the second set, visibly struggling as she dealt with moving from the shade back into the sun. Speaking after the defeat, Sabalenka said: "She [Bartunkova] is very talented, and moves well on court. She also serves well so you have to convert your chances against her. She can serve really well and to return from shade or sun is tricky. I wasn’t good at this today."
Bartunkova described beating the former world number one as the biggest win of her career. Speaking to the WTA website, she said: "It is the biggest win of my career. It was very difficult conditions for today because half of the court was very cold and very windy. And the other side was very hot and opposite."
Career High for Bartunkova
Bartunkova is now up to a career high of 34 and will face Sinja Kraus in the Beijing Open quarter-finals. She added: "For me, it’s an unbelievable year for me. I didn’t expect before this year that I would play like this. And I would be here like this. It’s great. But just now, I just focus on myself, improve my game. Because still, it’s 50-50 every match. And I’m still young. I need to have more experience. That’s my goal right now."
It has been a difficult season for Sabalenka, who has not won a tournament since the Miami Open in late March. Her next opportunity to end that drought will be at the WTA 1000 Wuhan Open, which begins on 12 October.
