Bartůňková Stuns Sabalenka in Beijing

Nikola Bartůňková removed the China Open’s #2 seed in straight sets Sunday, beating Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 6-3 to reach the fourth round in Beijing.

The 20-year-old Czech, seeded 26th, completed the upset in 1 hour, 35 minutes. It was the second Top 10 victory of her career and her first against a Top 3 opponent; the first came against Belinda Bencic at the Australian Open. Bartůňková, who arrived at a career-high #34, also reached her second WTA 1000 round of 16 after making the same stage in Rome, and the win was her 22nd of the season, 16 of them on hard courts. She is now 2-5 against Top 10 opponents. Sabalenka’s previous win in their rivalry came in Berlin.