Elena Rybakina stunned in first match as No 1 as Sonay Kartal progresses in China Open
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Elena Rybakina crashed out of the China Open with a shock second-round defeat to unseeded Alina Charaeva, marking a disappointing start to her reign as World No 1.
The 27-year-old was playing for the first time since defeating four-times major winner Aryna Sabalenka to capture the US Open title last month, which saw her leapfrog the Belarusian into top spot in the world rankings.
Charaeva, a 24-year-old Russian-born Armenian ranked 118th in the world, etched her name into the record books by becoming the lowest-ranked competitor since the introduction of the WTA rankings in 1975 to rally from a set down to defeat the world’s top-ranked player, beating Rybakina 3-6 6-4 6-3.
Having weathered Rybakina’s early charge, Charaeva converted five of eight break-point opportunities and won 76 percent of points behind her first serve.
Rybakina, who skipped Kazakhstan’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals campaign after what she described as a physically demanding month, struggled on serve, committing seven double faults in the two-hour, 11-minute contest at the WTA 1000 hardcourt event.
Charaeva will face Britain’s Sonay Kartal in the third round who booked her place with a 6-3 6-2 win over Wang Xinyu.
Kartal, back in action after a six-month injury lay-off, comfortably beat the Chinese number one, while compatriot Harriet Dart took a set off American 10th seed Iva Jovic but lost 2-6 6-3 6-3.
Kartal, who reached the quarter-finals last year, said on court: “I knew the support would be more towards the other end of the net but it was a super-fun environment to play in.
“It was tough to be the underdog in this match but I’m happy with the level I showed.
“I love the courts here and I’m super happy to play here and I think that shows in my tennis. I had a long time out but happy to make the return to this event and I’m looking to equal of do better this year.”
In the men’s draw, German top seed Alexander Zverev swept aside local hope Shang Juncheng 6-0 6-3 in the round of 16.
Fresh from his US Open triumph and helping Team Europe win the Laver Cup, Zverev will next take on 24-time grand slam champion Novak Djokovic in Sunday’s quarter-final.
The 39-year-old Serb boasts a perfect 31-0 record at the ATP 500 event and holds the tournament record with six China Open titles.
Additional reporting from Reuters
