Czech Nikola Bartunkova produced one of the biggest upsets of the strong WTA 1000 tennis tournament in Beijing. In a third-round match, the 20-year-old tennis player, ranked 34th in the world, defeated the previous world leader Arina Sabalenka of Belarus 6:4, 6:3.
Bartunkova built on her performance from June on grass in Berlin, when she led by a set and 4:0 in the quarterfinals, but then suffered a painful setback. This time, the Czech showed great composure, saving all five break points against Sabalenka and making key breaks at the beginning of both sets, as well as in the final game of the match. In the round of 16, Bartunkova will face Austria's Sinia Kraus, who eliminated Diana Yastremska of Ukraine 6-1, 6-4.
Roland Garros champion Mira Andreeva also sealed her place in the top 16 in the Chinese capital. The Russian won 6-4, 6-1 against Polina Kudermetova of Uzbekistan. Despite trailing 2-4 in the first set, Andreeva showed class and won 10 of the next 11 games in the match.
Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova also moved on after a quick victory. The Czech swept Viktoria Golubic of Switzerland in less than an hour 6-2, 6-1, serving seven aces and four breaks. In the round of 16, Noskova awaits Ekaterina Alexandrova, who defeated Diana Schneider 3:6, 6:4, 6:3 in a Russian derby.