Rybakina’s Reign as World Number One Begins With Shock China Open Defeat to Qualifier-Ranked Charaeva

BEIJING – Elena Rybakina’s first match as world number one ended in a stunning upset on Saturday, as the three-time Grand Slam champion was knocked out of the China Open in the second round by unseeded Alina Charaeva, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.

The 27-year-old from Kazakhstan was playing her first match since winning the US Open last month, where she beat four-time major winner Aryna Sabalenka in the final to claim her third Grand Slam title and rise to the top of the WTA rankings.

Charaeva, a 24-year-old Russian-born player who represents Armenia and is ranked 118th in the world, was making her debut at the Beijing tournament and playing her first career match against a top-20 opponent. She absorbed Rybakina’s strong start and gradually took control of the contest at the WTA 1000 hardcourt event.

After dropping the opening set, Charaeva levelled the match and then broke serve for a 4-2 lead in the decider before closing out a famous victory after two hours and 11 minutes. She converted five of eight break points and won 76 percent of points on her first serve. Rybakina struggled on serve throughout, committing seven double faults.

The win sets several records. Charaeva is the lowest-ranked player since the WTA rankings began in 1975 to come from a set down to beat a reigning world number one, and only the ninth player ranked outside the top 100 to defeat the top-ranked player. She is also the first Armenian to beat a world number one. Rybakina, meanwhile, becomes only the second WTA number one to lose her first match at the top of the rankings, after Naomi Osaka in 2019.

Charaeva, who did not qualify for the US Open main draw that Rybakina went on to win, described the result as a dream come true. She said she had focused on staying mentally strong and never stopped believing she could turn the match around.

Elsewhere in the women’s draw on Saturday, China’s Zheng Qinwen advanced to the third round after Anna Kalinskaya retired from their match.