Nikola Bartunkova of Czechia defeated Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in the round of 32 at the WTA 1000 event in Beijing 6-4, 6-3 to advance to the round of 16. The tournament is played on hard courts with a prize fund of $9.4 million. In Beijing, Bartunkova is seeded 26th, while Sabalenka is the second seed. According to rank.tennis, Bartunkova is ranked 34th with 1391 points, while Sabalenka sits second with 7485 points.
The match was decided in two sets. Bartunkova took the first 6-4. In the second, the gap widened to 6-3, sealing a 2-0 set victory. Sabalenka was unable to force the match into a third set.
Path through the draw and head-to-head record
Bartunkova has yet to drop a set in Beijing. In the round of 64, she routed Magdalena Frech 6-2, 6-2, before beating Sabalenka. Sabalenka opened her tournament with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Renata Zarazua. She arrived in Beijing having reached the US Open final, where she fell to Elena Rybakina 4-6, 7-5, 2-6. Bartunkova, meanwhile, lost in the third round of the US Open to Mirra Andreeva 2-6, 6-7(7).
According to api.tennis, the two players have met twice, both times in 2026. Sabalenka won the first encounter after trailing during the match, 2-6, 7-6(2), 6-4. The win in Beijing levelled their head-to-head record at 1-1.