Shock in Beijing: Sabalenka ousted by 20-year-old Czech, draw opens up for Świątek and Naomi Osaka
World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka suffered a surprise third-round loss at the Beijing WTA 1000 to 20-year-old Czech Nikola Bartunkova, reshaping the draw for other contenders including Iga Świątek and Naomi Osaka, according to Przegląd Sportowy.
Unexpected defeat
At the WTA 1000 hard-court tournament in Beijing, China, world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) lost in the third round to 20-year-old Czech Nikola Bartunkova, 6:4, 6:3. The match lasted one hour and 35 minutes.
According to statistics reported by Przegląd Sportowy and SportoweFakty, Bartunkova hit 23 winners and committed just 14 unforced errors, while Sabalenka produced 26 winners but also 25 unforced errors. The Belarusian lost her serve three times and failed to convert a single break point of her own. Overall, Bartunkova won 75 of 137 points played.
In the first set, Sabalenka dropped her serve in the opening game; although she saved five break points in the sixth game, Bartunkova held her advantage and closed the set 6:4. In the second set, the Czech again broke early and sealed the match 6:3.
Revenge for Berlin
Per SportoweFakty and Przegląd Sportowy, this was something of a revenge match for Bartunkova. In June 2025 in Berlin, the pair had already met: Bartunkova led 6:2, 4:0, but Sabalenka turned the match around to win 2:6, 7:6(2), 6:4.
In the next round in Beijing, Bartunkova — currently ranked 34th — will face Austria's Sinja Kraus, who beat Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska 6:1, 6:4.
Impact on the rest of the draw
Sabalenka's loss follows her defeat to Elena Rybakina in the US Open final, Przegląd Sportowy notes. With top seed Rybakina also already out of the Beijing draw, the bottom half has opened up considerably, with Elina Svitolina, Belinda Bencic and Anna Kalinskaya mentioned as potential contenders. In the other half, where Iga Świątek is competing, remaining players include Mirra Andreeva, Linda Noskova, Karolina Muchova and Naomi Osaka — meaning Świątek, should she reach the final, will no longer face Sabalenka.
Świątek must first get past Croatia's Donna Vekić in a Monday match; a win would set up a possible meeting with Iva Jovic or Kamilla Rakhimova, and potentially Coco Gauff in the quarterfinals.
The tournament's total prize fund is $9,415,725, according to polsatsport.pl, while SportoweFakty reports the champion will receive a check for $1.151 million. The women's champion also earns 1,000 WTA ranking points. The tournament runs through October 11; last year's Beijing champions were Jannik Sinner and Amanda Anisimova.
