World No. 1 Elena Rybakina is eliminated from the China Open after losing in the second round to world No. 118 Alina Charaeva in Beijing. Rybakina, 27, plays her first match since becoming the top-ranked player following her US Open win, but Charaeva, 24, completes a comeback to win 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
All outlets describe Charaeva’s victory as decisive, with momentum shifting after a strong early start by Rybakina. The reports also note that Charaeva is making her Beijing debut, and that Rybakina’s challenge is affected by multiple double faults, alongside the match being played in windy conditions. Rybakina receives support from the crowd but cannot regain control, with the match lasting about two hours and 11 minutes.
While the main focus across sources is on Rybakina’s loss, one outlet also adds broader tournament context by mentioning other players’ results: Alexander Zverev advances to face Novak Djokovic in subsequent play. Charaeva is reported to move on to face Sonay Kartal in the third round.
