Alina Czarajewa defeats world No. 1 Jelena Rybakina in three sets at China Open

Second-round match in Beijing

World No. 1 Jelena Rybakina exited the China Open in Beijing on Saturday, 3 October 2026, losing 6-3, 4-6, 3-6 to Alina Czarajewa in the second round. Rybakina entered the hard-court WTA 1000 tournament with a bye in the round of 64 and began her campaign against the 118th-ranked player. The 27-year-old from Kazakhstan conceded her serve in the opening game before recovering the break in the following game. Although her serve did not function at its usual level, Rybakina took the opening set 6-3. Czarajewa raised her level of play from 2-2 in the second set, capitalizing on uncertain baseline play from the top seed to take the set 6-4. In the third set, Czarajewa broke Rybakina's service game to lead 4-2, allowed no break opportunities, and closed out the victory 6-3.

Statistical milestones from Opta

According to statistics compiled by Opta, Czarajewa became the lowest-ranked player since the WTA ranking system began in 1975 to defeat a world No. 1 after losing the first set. The 24-year-old also became only the second player since 1975 to defeat a new world No. 1 in that player's debut match after claiming the top ranking. The only previous occurrence happened in 2019, when Kristina Mladenovic defeated Naomi Osaka 6-3, 6-3 at the Dubai Tennis Championships. Osaka had taken the No. 1 ranking after winning the 2019 Australian Open before losing her opening fixture. The victory in Beijing marked the biggest result of Czarajewa's career on the professional tour.

Career trajectories for both players

Rybakina reached the top of the WTA rankings following her victory at the 2026 US Open, where she defeated Aryna Sabalenka in the final. That result ended Sabalenka's tenure of 107 consecutive weeks at world No. 1. Rybakina had earlier collected titles at the 2025 WTA Finals and the 2026 Australian Open. Czarajewa, born in Russia, has competed under the Armenian flag since July 2026. The 24-year-old recently began playing regular main-tour events, holds a career-high ranking of 108, has never progressed through Grand Slam qualifying, and earned a WTA 125 tournament title earlier in the 2026 season.

China Open bracket and tournament details

Czarajewa advances to the third round in Beijing on Monday, where she will face British player Sonay Kartal. Kartal, ranked 129th in the world, advanced by defeating China's 31st seed Xinyu Wang 6-3, 6-2 in one hour and 19 minutes. The 2026 China Open hard-court tournament features a total prize money purse of $9.415 million, with main-draw matches running through 11 October. The tournament champion will receive 1,000 WTA ranking points and a payout of $1.151 million. Former world No. 1 Iga Świątek advanced in her section of the draw, remaining the sole Polish player in the competition after first-round exits by Katarzyna Kawa and Magda Linette, alongside second-round eliminations for Maja Chwalińska and Magdalena Fręch.