Nikola Bartunkova pulled off the big surprise at the WTA 1000 tournament in Beijing, after eliminating the 2nd seeded Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 6-3. The Czech, who is ranked 26th in the rankings, won the third round match in straight sets and qualified for the round of 16.
Bartunkova started confidently and managed to take the lead in the first set. Sabalenka could not find an answer to her opponent's varied play and lost the set 4-6. In the second set, the Czech again controlled the key moments, achieved success 6-3 and ended the match without a decisive third set.
„First of all, I concentrated on myself and kept calm. "Arina is great, a legend and a Grand Slam champion. I'm very happy that I won," Bartunkova said after the victory.
Revenge for the defeat in Berlin
The success has additional value for the 20-year-old Czech, as the two tennis players also met in June at the tournament in Berlin. Then Sabalenka lost the first set 2:6 and was behind 0:4 in the second, but managed to turn the match around and win 2:6, 7:6(2), 6:4.
In Beijing, however, Bartunkova did not allow the second in the world to repeat this turnaround. Sabalenka returned to the court after the US Open final, but was eliminated in her third match in the Chinese capital.
Kraus awaits Bartunkova in the round of 16
In the round of 16, Bartunkova will play against Sinja Kraus. The Austrian defeated Diana Yastremska in the third round and also advanced in the tournament.
For Bartunkova, this is another strong result in 2026. The Czech has already shown that she can compete with top players, and the victory over Sobolenko is her most significant success in Beijing so far.
Sources: WTA