Charaeva rallies to beat Rybakina in China Open

Elena Rybakina lost 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 to unseeded Alina Charaeva in the China Open second round on October 3, making her first appearance as world No. 1 a defeat. Charaeva, ranked 118th, rallied after dropping the opening set to eliminate the top-ranked player in Beijing. The loss came after Rybakina won the U.S. Open last month and moved to the top of the WTA rankings. Charaeva became the lowest-ranked player reported to have beaten a reigning world No. 1 after coming back from a set down, a distinction based on rankings records dating to 1975. Match statistics reported after the contest showed Charaeva converted five of eight break points and won 76% of points behind her first serve. Rybakina committed seven double faults during the two-hour, 11-minute match. Charaeva had not previously faced a top-20 player, according to one account of the match. Charaeva said after the win that she tried to remain mentally strong after losing the first set. She broke Rybakina late in the second set to level the match, then took control in the decider and closed out the victory. The result ended Rybakina’s China Open campaign in the second round.