Alina Charaeva rallied from a set down to defeat world number one Elena Rybakina 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 at the China Open in Beijing, becoming the lowest-ranked player ever to beat a reigning WTA number one. The 24-year-old, ranked 118th, spent two hours and 11 minutes on court before securing the victory on the hard courts on Tuesday.
Rybakina was playing her first match since reaching the top spot in the WTA rankings for the first time, but Charaeva’s comeback ended the world number one’s run in the round of 32. The Russian’s win sets up a third-round meeting with Sonay Kartal and marks her first time reaching the third round of a WTA 1000 event.
Since the WTA rankings began in 1975, only eight other players outside the top 100 have beaten a world number one, but none have done so after trailing in the match, making Charaeva’s achievement unique. It was also her first top 10 win in her first attempt at that level.
Charaeva said after the match, “I don’t have words honestly. First playing Elena, world number one. This is such a good experience. I’m really happy to manage my emotions today and bring my best tennis tonight.” She added that she tried “to enjoy, to not be so nervous” going into the match, though admitted, “It wasn’t possible. I was so nervous anyway.”
The match statistics showed a close battle. Charaeva won 60.3% of her total service points, compared to Rybakina’s 55.9%. On return points, Charaeva also edged ahead with 44.1% to Rybakina’s 39.7%. Overall, Charaeva took 51.5% of the total points, narrowly outperforming the world number one’s 48.5%.
Playing on Beijing’s centre court for the first time, Charaeva acknowledged the impact of the crowd. “I’m really happy to see all these fans cheering for her and me as well. I just hope to see the fans again in the third round,” she said.
The China Open has already seen other surprises, including the elimination of second seed Aryna Sabalenka, who lost to Nikola Bartunkova in the same round. Charaeva’s victory is the standout upset so far, given the stature of her opponent and the ranking gap between the two players.
Charaeva’s rise through the tournament has been marked by resilience. In her opener, she came from behind to defeat Yuliia Starodubtseva in three sets. Her ability to overturn deficits and maintain composure under pressure has been key to her progress in Beijing.
With her win over Rybakina, Charaeva is now on course to break into the WTA top 100 for the first time. The China Open third round will see if she can continue this run against Sonay Kartal.
According to Yahoo Sports.
