Photo via Yahoo Sports

Naomi Osaka reacts after Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka both suffer shock exits in Beijing

The early rounds of the China Open in Beijing have delivered a series of surprising upsets among the WTA’s top-ranked players. World No.

1 Elena Rybakina, who claimed the title at the US Open and rose to the top spot after defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the final, suffered an unexpected first-round exit against Alina Charaeva. Sabalenka, the tournament’s second seed, also faltered, losing to Nikola Bartunkova in the third round.

Both players had yet to compete since their dramatic showdown in New York, marking their first events of the season after a grueling schedule. Meanwhile, Naomi Osaka, seeded 12th, advanced to the last 16 with a win over her next opponent, Karolina Muchova, whom she’ll face for the eighth time in their careers.

Muchova holds a slight edge in their head-to-head record, but Osaka, who has won four Grand Slam titles, reflected on the significance of her achievements, emphasizing that Grand Slam victories hold greater personal meaning than reaching the world No. 1 ranking.

The tournament has already seen a mix of fatigue and fierce competition, with even the highest-ranked stars vulnerable to early exits.

Up nextTennis· 2d ago

Elena Rybakina joins Naomi Osaka on unwanted list after losing her first match as the world number one in Beijing