Bartunkova shocks second seed Sabalenka 6-4, 6-3 to end her China Open run
Aryna Sabalenka was defeated 6-4, 6-3 by world No. 34 Nikola Bartunkova at the China Open in Beijing on Sunday, October 4, 2026, exiting the tournament after a one-hour, 35-minute match. The loss came against the 20-year-old Czech, who produced what the report called the biggest win of her career.
Sabalenka entered the match as the tournament’s second seed after a 2026 that began with three titles: Brisbane, Indian Wells and Miami in March. Her Indian Wells and Miami victories completed the Sunshine Double, making her only the fifth woman to achieve that sequence. She has not won a title since Miami, reached the Australian Open final where she lost to Elena Rybakina, and was beaten by Rybakina again in the US Open final, 6-4, 5-7, 6-2. The US Open result saw Rybakina replace Sabalenka at No. 1, ending the Belarusian’s long stay at the summit and leaving Sabalenka to finish 2026 without a Grand Slam title for the first time since 2022.
Bartunkova broke Sabalenka in the opening game and maintained pressure as the first set progressed; Sabalenka earned five break points in the sixth game but failed to convert any. The Czech produced steady defense and secured another break to close out the opening set 6-4, while Bartunkova also recorded four aces during the one-hour, 35-minute contest.
The second set followed a similar pattern when Bartunkova claimed the decisive break in the fourth game and moved to 4-2. Sabalenka’s frustration was visible when she threw her racquet after dropping serve, and Bartunkova served out the match on her first match point when Sabalenka sent a return into the net.
“I focused on myself, to be calm. Aryna is great. She's a legend. She's a Grand Slam champion,” Bartunkova, 20, said after the victory, which was described in the report as the biggest of her career.
With Sabalenka eliminated in the third round in Beijing, her China Open campaign has ended and the defeat adds another setback to an otherwise strong start to her 2026 season.
