Aryna Sabalenka was swatted aside in straight sets in the third round of the China Open on Sunday, leaving the women's draw without its top two seeds, while Daniil Medvedev went through for the men.
Czech player Nikola Bartunkova, 20, sent down four aces to beat the former world No 1 6-4, 6-3 in one hour and 35 minutes.
WHAT A WIN ⭐️
— wta (@WTA) October 4, 2026
No.26 seed Nikola Bartunkova continues her amazing season defeating No.2 seed Sabalenka in straight sets in Beijing!#ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/Ul0rTbT1OC
"I focused on myself, to be calm," 34th-ranked Bartunkova said.
"She's a legend... so I'm really happy that I won the match," she said of the four-time Grand Slam champion.
Bartunkova next faces Austria's Sinja Kraus in the round of 16.
Second-seeded Sabalenka squandered five chances to break serve in the sixth game of the first set, with Bartunkova strong on defence and firing deep.
The 28-year-old from Belarus threw on a cap for the eighth game of the first set as the women switched between playing in the shade and the sun, but it did not turn the tide in her favour.
Is there an upset in the making ⁉️
— wta (@WTA) October 4, 2026
No.26 seed Nikola Bartunkova looks up for it and has the lead against Sabalenka.#ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/lZPBjeQZm0
A frustrated Sabalenka tossed her racquet at a break down in the fourth game of the second set, and lost on the first match point when she returned into the net.
Top seed Elena Rybakina – who replaced Sabalenka as world No 1 weeks ago – is also out, having lost to Alina Charaeva in the second round on Saturday.
Also on Sunday, Roland Garros champion Mirra Andreeva of Russia set up a fourth-round match with Ukraine's Daria Snigur, while Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova breezed past Viktorija Golubic 6-2, 6-1.
JOB DONE ✅
— wta (@WTA) October 4, 2026
No.4 seed Mirra Andreeva closes out the match against Kudermetova to move into the Round of 16 in Beijing.#ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/NqRT5y0so4
Noskova next faces 28th-ranked Russian player Ekaterina Alexandrova.
MEDVEDEV THROUGH TO SEMIS
In the men's draw, former world No 1 Daniil Medvedev dispatched Francisco Cerundolo 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 to set up a semifinal thriller with either Alexander Zverev or Novak Djokovic.
Semi-final bound! 🫡@DaniilMedwed moves past Cerundolo 7-6, 6-3 to advance to the Beijing SF once more@ChinaOpen | #ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/SbQ7428YH8
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 4, 2026
Poland's Hubert Hurkacz also advanced to the semifinals after beating Karen Khachanov, and will play Australia's Alex de Minaur, who survived a gruelling test to beat Andrey Rublev 1-6, 6-2, 6-3.
Top seed Zverev plays Djokovic later on Sunday in the quarterfinals.
The 39-year-old Serbian great enters the match with an extraordinary unbeaten streak in Beijing, but Zverev – last month's US Open champion – is in the running for the top men's ranking.