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World No. 1 Elena Rybakina fell to 118th-ranked Alina Charaeva in three sets at the China Open, while Alexander Zverev advanced to a quarter-final against Novak Djokovic.
World No. 1 Elena Rybakina crashed out of the China Open second round on Saturday, losing 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 to unseeded Alina Charaeva, ranked 118th in the world, in Beijing.
Rybakina Suffers Rare Second-Round Upset
It was a disappointing start to her reign as world number one. The 27-year-old was playing her first match since beating four-times major winner Aryna Sabalenka to win 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, etched her name into the record books.
She became the lowest-ranked competitor since the WTA rankings began in 1975 to rally from a set down and defeat the world's top-ranked player.
"This is incredible," Charaeva said. "She's (an) amazing player, and for me it's kind of just dream come true. " She was referring to Rybakina, a three-time Grand Slam champion. "I will be really happy to stay some more days in Beijing," she added.
"Never stop believing, I guess. " Rybakina got off to a solid start, but seven double faults handed momentum to her opponent. Wind rattled the closed-roof stadium, and both players served as thunderous claps echoed over the court. A supportive crowd tried to rally Rybakina, but Charaeva held serve to win in two hours and 11 minutes.
Charaeva Secures Historic Beijing Victory
Charaeva converted five of eight break-point opportunities and won 76% of points behind her first serve. The match was played at the WTA 1000 hardcourt event. Charaeva will next meet Britain's Sonay Kartal. Earlier on Saturday, Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen advanced at her home tournament before opponent Anna Kalinskaya retired through injury, giving the Chinese player a 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 3-0 victory.
A strong breeze and a noisy crowd made for tense rallies on a chilly centre court, with the umpire stepping in to warn people to stop moving around in the stands during play. 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. Charaeva was making her Beijing debut and called the win a dream come true. She praised Rybakina as an amazing player.
China Open Draw Takes Shape
The victory marked one of the biggest upsets of the tournament. Rybakina, who like Charaeva was born in Russia, could not regroup after the first set. The wind and crowd disruptions affected play, but Charaeva stayed clinical in her comeback. Zheng's match was also disrupted by a strong breeze and noisy crowd.
The umpire warned spectators to stop moving during play. Zheng advanced after Kalinskaya retired with an injury. Zverev's win sets up a highly anticipated quarter-final against Djokovic, who has never lost at the China Open. Zverev is coming off a strong run that included the U.S. Open title and the Laver Cup.
The China Open continues with Charaeva set to face Kartal, while Zverev and Djokovic will meet on Sunday. Rybakina's early exit leaves the tournament without its top seed on the women's side.
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straits_times:Rybakina's first match as world number one ends in China Open defeat by CharaevaThis story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
Alina Charaeva China Open Alexander Zverev Novak Djokovic
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