Rybakina suffers shock China Open defeat while Zverev advances

Elena Rybakina lost 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 to unseeded Alina Charaeva in the second round of the China Open, becoming the lowest-ranked player in WTA history to defeat the world number one. In the men's draw, Alexander Zverev beat Shang Juncheng 6-0, 6-3 and is set to face Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals.

Updated Oct 04, 2026, 12:18 AMBEIJING, China, Oct 3 - Three-times Grand Slam champion Elena Rybakina crashed out of the China Open with a shock 3-6 6-4 6-3 defeat by unseeded Alina Charaeva in the second round on Saturday, marking a disappointing start to her reign as world number one.

The 27-year-old was playing for the first time since defeating four-times major winner Aryna Sabalenka to capture the U.S. Open title last month. Rybakina had skipped Kazakhstan's Billie Jean King Cup Finals campaign after what she described as a physically demanding month.

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. Having weathered Rybakina's early charge, Charaeva converted five of eight break-point opportunities and won 76% of points behind her first serve.

Rybakina struggled on serve, committing seven double faults in the two-hour, 11-minute contest at the WTA 1000 hardcourt event. 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 U.S. Open triumph and helping Team Europe win the Laver Cup, Zverev will next take on 24-times 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. REUTERS

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Elena Rybakina Alina Charaeva China Open Alexander Zverev Novak Djokovic

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