Grand Slam Champion: World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka was stunned in the third round of the China Open by the Czech Republic's Nikola Bartunkova in straight sets on Sunday.
One day after World No. 1 Elena Rybakina was ousted from the tournament, Sabalenka followed suit with a 4-6, 3-6 defeat in 1 hour and 35 minutes.
Bartunkova, ranked World No. 34, broke Sabalenka thrice in the match and did not lose her serve as she marked her second win over a Top 10 player, with her previous coming against the then No. 10 Belinda Bencic in the second round of the Australian Open 2026.
"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," Bartunkova said after her win over Sabalenka.
The 20-year-old began the match by breaking Sabalenka in the first set and then had to save five break points in the sixth game to go 4-2 up.
Bartunkova had a great chance to go for a double break in the next game but missed three chances. However, she went on to close the set with two service game holds for love for a 6-4 win.
She then broke Sabalenka again in the second set and was 3-1 up. She held her serves and broke the World No.2 again in the ninth game while not facing a break point of her own to win the second one 6-3.
Meanwhile, this marked yet another instance of Sabalenka failing to impress in Beijing. She has not made it past the quarterfinals in her five main-draw appearances in the tournament.
She then broke Sabalenka again in the second set and was 3-1 up. She held her serves and broke the World No.2 again in the ninth game while not facing a break point of her own to win the second one 6-3.
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Article Source: IANS