No. 118 Charaeva ousts top-ranked Rybakina

Alina Charaeva is the lowest-ranked player since the WTA rankings began in 1975 to beat a world No. 1 after dropping the opening set. Ranked No. 118, the twenty-four-year-old Russian-born player representing Armenia defeated Elena Rybakina 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in two hours and eleven minutes on hard courts at the China Open in Beijing.

Rybakina was on court as the newly crowned world No. 1. Twenty-seven and representing Kazakhstan, the three-time Grand Slam champion had reached the top ranking after winning the US Open last month. In the final at Arthur Ashe Stadium she defeated Aryna Sabalenka. That victory was her second major title of the season, after the Australian Open earlier in the year, and brought her total to three. She had dropped only three sets across the fortnight at Flushing Meadows. The Beijing match was the first she had played since the final and the first of her career as world No. 1.

The China Open, a WTA 1000 tournament, offered a prize fund of $9.4 million. Combined prize money for the event had stood close to $13 million in 2025.

Charaeva was making her debut at the event. She had never before faced a player ranked inside the top twenty. This was only her seventeenth main-draw match at tour level. Until that night the best win of her career had come against Wang Xinyu, then ranked No. 31.

Rybakina held to love. Forty-four minutes after the match began, the first set was hers, 6-3. Charaeva had broken in the opening game. Four unforced errors from Rybakina put that break on the board before the set had settled. Rybakina broke back at once and recovered quickly. The breaks kept changing hands. She broke again and led 4-2. Charaeva broke for 4-3. Rybakina answered with a backhand return winner to reach 5-3, then held to love and closed the set.

Trailing 1-2 in the second set after Rybakina had taken a 2-1 lead with a forehand winner, Charaeva broke back for 2-2 with a forehand winner of her own. The exchange left the set level again. A few games later she produced a backhand passing shot that earned her a further break of serve. She took the set 6-4 and forced the match into a third set.

Rybakina saved a break point early in the decider and held for 2-2. What followed was a fraying of her serve. Seven double faults mounted. By the end of the match she had dropped serve five times. Charaeva converted five of the eight break points available to her. She also won 76 percent of the points played behind her first serve. When the score reached 4-2 in the third set, Rybakina missed a backhand wide and the break went to Charaeva. Charaeva consolidated with a love hold. A few games later she served out the match.

Charaeva held her head in her hands in disbelief.

“I don’t have words,” she said. “This is incredible. Of course, Elena is an amazing player who is doing really good this season, winning two Grand Slams.”

“For me, it’s just a dream come true. I just tried to stay hard mentally and keep believing I could turn around the game to my side. Never stop believing, I guess!”

Rybakina’s account of the night was plain.

“Obviously it was a very tough day out there. There was a lot going on after the US Open victory. I didn’t get a lot of chances to sleep and recover. Congratulations to Alina. She played a very good match, and I felt my foot a little bit at the end of the match. So it’s time to rest a little bit and see what is next in the upcoming weeks.”

A third-round place at the China Open was now hers. Britain’s Sonay Kartal, ranked No. 129, is the third-round opponent. Kartal reached the quarter-finals at the China Open a year ago. She had been out of the WTA Tour for six months with a back injury; her last match before Beijing was a retirement against Rybakina at Indian Wells in March. She returned by beating Andrea Lazaro Garcia 6-2, 6-3 and, two days later, the thirty-first seed Wang Xinyu 6-3, 6-2.

“I am super happy to play here, and I think that shows in my tennis. I’ve had a long time out, but I am happy to make a return to this event - I am looking to equal or hopefully do better this year,” Kartal said.

The third round of a WTA 1000 event is new ground for Charaeva.

“It will be such a new step for me,” Charaeva said. “Of course, I will be really happy to stay some more days in Beijing. I really enjoy the fans, the city and the organization.”