A Dream Run Meets a Rude Awakening
Elena Rybakina arrived in Beijing riding one of the most impressive waves of form on the women's tour in 2026. She had just claimed her second Grand Slam title of the season at the US Open, a run that also pushed her to the top of the world rankings for the first time. But her debut as world No. 1 lasted exactly one match. Charaeva, ranked 118th in the world and representing Armenia, produced the performance of her career to beat the top seed 6-3, 4-6, 3-6 and advance to the round of 32.
Perhaps most remarkable is the context surrounding Charaeva's victory. She had never previously faced a player ranked inside the top 20, making this upset all the more extraordinary. After the match, an emotional Charaeva struggled to find the right words, describing the result as a dream come true and crediting her mental resilience for allowing her to flip the momentum in her favor. She will next face British player Sonay Kartal, who is also in action at the China Open this week.
Alcaraz and Others Keep Their Runs Going
While Rybakina was making unwanted headlines, Carlos Alcaraz provided a reminder of his own clutch quality at the Japan Open in Tokyo. He survived a nervy first-set tiebreak against Matteo Arnaldi, saving four set points after falling 2-5 down, before winning the tiebreak and dominating the second set to claim a 7-6, 6-1 victory. Alcaraz will face Denis Shapovalov in the quarterfinals.
Elsewhere in Tokyo, Jiri Lehecka came from a set down to defeat Ugo Humbert and set up a last-eight clash against Adolfo Daniel Vallejo Alvarez. TennisDraw users had Rybakina as one of the most popular China Open title picks before her stunning first-round exit.
