Sabalenka stunned by Bartunkova at China Open, exits in third round
Synopsis
Nikola Bartunkova didn't just beat Aryna Sabalenka — she ended the China Open's last hope of a top-two seed in the Round of 16. With Rybakina gone the day before and Sabalenka now out, Beijing faces its most wide-open women's draw since 2015. For Sabalenka, a five-year Beijing curse just got deeper.
Key Takeaways
Aryna Sabalenka (World No.
2) lost to Nikola Bartunkova (World No.
34) 4-6, 3-6 in the third round of the China Open on 4 October .
Bartunkova broke Sabalenka's serve three times and did not lose her serve once throughout the match.
This is Bartunkova's second career win over a top-10 player , after beating Belinda Bencic at the Australian Open 2026 .
Sabalenka has never reached the quarterfinals in her five main-draw appearances at the China Open.
For the first time in 12 years , neither of the top two seeds — Rybakina and Sabalenka — will feature in the China Open Round of 16; the last instance was in 2015 .
Aryna Sabalenka, the World No. 2, was eliminated from the China Open in the third round on Sunday, 4 October, losing to Czech Republic's Nikola Bartunkova in straight sets — 4-6, 3-6 — in just 1 hour and 35 minutes in Beijing. The defeat comes just one day after World No. 1 Elena Rybakina was also knocked out of the tournament, leaving the women's draw without either of its top two seeds for the first time in 12 years.
How Bartunkova Controlled the Match
Bartunkova, ranked World No. 34, was dominant from the outset, breaking Sabalenka's serve three times across the match while never losing her own. In the first set, the 20-year-old broke Sabalenka immediately to seize the initiative, then saved five break points in the sixth game to move 4-2 ahead. Despite missing three chances for a double break in the following game, she closed out the first set 6-4 with back-to-back holds to love.
The second set followed a similar pattern. Bartunkova broke Sabalenka early to lead 3-1, then maintained her composure to break the World No. 2 again in the ninth game — all without facing a single break point of her own — sealing the set 6-3 and the match.
Bartunkova's Statement Win
The victory marks Bartunkova's second win over a top-10 player. Her previous scalp came against then-World No. 10 Belinda Bencic in the second round of the Australian Open 2026. Speaking after the match, Bartunkova attributed her performance to mental focus. "First of all, I focused on myself to be calm. Aryna is great. She's a legend. She's a Grand Slam Champion. I'm really happy I won the match," she said.
Sabalenka's Ongoing Beijing Struggles
Sabalenka's exit extends a troubling record at the China Open. She has now failed to reach the quarterfinals in any of her five main-draw appearances at the tournament. Notably, this is also the latest chapter in what critics and analysts describe as a recurring pattern of the Belarusian underperforming in Beijing despite her dominant form elsewhere on the circuit.
Historic Fallout: Top Two Seeds Absent from Round of 16
With both Rybakina and Sabalenka now eliminated, the China Open women's draw faces its first top-two-seed-free Round of 16 in 12 years. The last such occurrence was in 2015, when top seed Simona Halep and second seed Petra Kvitova both failed to reach the pre-quarters. The development opens the draw wide for unseeded contenders and lower-ranked players, setting up an unpredictable final stretch to the title.
Point of View
Zero quarterfinals, and now a straight-sets loss to a 20-year-old ranked outside the top 30. The simultaneous exits of both Rybakina and Sabalenka expose something deeper: the gap between the tour's elite and the next tier is narrowing faster than the rankings suggest. Bartunkova's second top-10 scalp in 2026 is a data point worth watching. If the draw stays this open, the China Open title could go to someone ranked well outside the top 10 — and that says as much about the women's tour's competitive depth as it does about the top seeds' vulnerability on hard courts in Asia.
NationPress
4 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who eliminated Aryna Sabalenka from the China Open 2026?
Nikola Bartunkova of the Czech Republic, ranked World No. 34, eliminated Sabalenka in the third round on 4 October, winning 6-4, 6-3. The 20-year-old controlled the entire match without dropping her serve.
What is Sabalenka's record at the China Open?
Sabalenka has now failed to reach the quarterfinals in all five of her main-draw appearances at the China Open in Beijing. Sunday's third-round exit is consistent with a longstanding underperformance at the tournament.
Why is the China Open 2026 women's draw historically significant?
With both World No. 1 Elena Rybakina and World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka eliminated before the Round of 16, this is the first time in 12 years the top two seeds have both exited so early. The last such occasion was in 2015, when Simona Halep and Petra Kvitova both failed to reach the pre-quarters.
How many top-10 wins does Nikola Bartunkova have?
Bartunkova now has two career wins over top-10 players. Her first came against then-World No. 10 Belinda Bencic in the second round of the Australian Open 2026, and her second is this victory over Sabalenka.
Who was eliminated from the China Open before Sabalenka?
World No. 1 Elena Rybakina was eliminated from the China Open on Saturday, 3 October — one day before Sabalenka's exit — leaving the tournament without either of its top two seeds heading into the Round of 16.
