World No. 1 Rybakina Stunned By No. 118 Charaeva At China Open, Zverev Sets Up Djokovic Clash

World No. 1 Elena Rybakina’s first tournament as the top-ranked woman ended in stunning fashion as 118th-ranked Alina Charaeva produced one of the biggest upsets of the China Open, rallying from a set down to win 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the second round on Sunday.

Charaeva, from Armenia, struggled to contain her emotions after completing the biggest victory of her career, becoming only the ninth woman outside the top 100 to defeat a world No. 1.

“I was just trying to stay really hard mentally and keep believing that at some point I could turn it around again to my side,” Charaeva said. “I guess I just never stopped believing.”

Rybakina, who had recently won the US Open to rise to the top of the rankings, was unable to maintain control after taking the opening set. She served seven double faults and was broken five times, with the decisive break coming when Charaeva moved 4-2 ahead in the third set.

The Kazakh said the hectic aftermath of her Grand Slam triumph had taken a toll on her preparation and recovery.

“There was a lot going on after the US Open victory. I didn't get a lot of chances to sleep and recover,” Rybakina said, while congratulating Charaeva for her performance.

The defeat also made Rybakina only the second woman to lose her opening match as world No. 1, after Naomi Osaka suffered the same fate in 2019.

Elsewhere, Coco Gauff, who lost to Rybakina in the US Open semifinals, began her China Open campaign with a 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-2 win over Camila Osorio.

In the men's draw, US Open champion and top seed Alexander Zverev stormed past wild card Shang Juncheng 6-0, 6-3 to book a blockbuster quarterfinal against Novak Djokovic.

Third seed Daniil Medvedev defeated Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4, 6-3, while Alex de Minaur fought back to beat Quentin Halys 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-5.