Aryna Sabalenka heaped praise on Nikola Bartunkova following her straight-sets defeat to the young Czech at the Beijing Open.
The 20-year-old claimed the second top-10 win of her young career after beating Sabalenka 6-4, 6-3 in the third round of the WTA 1000 event on Sunday.
Bartunkova saved all five break points she faced, while the 26th seed converted three of her eight break chances. While she overcame Belinda Bencic (who was world No 10 at the time) at the Australian Open earlier this year, this Sabalenka scalp is her No 1 highlight.
She said, via the WTA website, “It is the biggest win of my career. It was very difficult conditions for today because half of the court was very cold and very windy. And the other side was very hot and opposite.
“It was very difficult conditions for both of us. It could be better for sure, especially on my serve. But it was because of the wind, and it was cold. So, that’s why I think my percentage of my serve was low.”
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After Sabalenka’s opening win in Beijing, where she lost just four games to Renata Zarazua, the 28-year-old said she is trying very hard to be “easier” on herself, rather than get all het up if things don’t go her way.
But she was unable to find her best tennis in the windy conditions; plus, she struggled to handle switching between being in the shade and sunshine.
Following her loss, Sabalenka said, “She [Bartunkova] is very talented, and moves well on court. She also serves well so you have to convert your chances against her. She can serve really well and to return from shade or sun is tricky. I wasn’t good at this today.”
Sabalenka’s difficult season shows no signs of abating. She went slamless in 2026 and the four-time major winner hasn’t won any of her last nine tournaments.
Bartunkova, on the other hand, is up to a career-high of 34 and will face Sinja Kraus for a spot in the Beijing Open quarter-finals.
The Prague-born player added, “For me, it’s an unbelievable year for me. I didn’t expect before this year that I would play like this. And I would be here like this. It’s great.
“But just now, I just focus on myself, improve my game. Because still, it’s 50-50 every match. And I’m still young. I need to have more experience. That’s my goal right now.”
Sabalenka – whose last tournament win was in late March at the Miami Open – will hope to end her title drought at the WTA 1000 Wuhan Open, which begins on 12 October.
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