Surprise in Beijing! World No. 118 knocks out Rybakina in her first match as No. 1

Fernando Murciego - 3 Oct 2026 | 16:49
WTA Elena Rybakina Alina Charaeva WTA Pekín 2026

Alina Charaeva, Armenian player trained by Carlos Martínez, surprises Rybakina in the first round of the WTA 1000 in Beijing. On the day the Kazakh debuted as World No. 1, she suffered a defeat without excuses on the central court.

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Surprise in Beijing! World No. 118 takes down Rybakina in her first match as No. 1. Source: Getty

The biggest fans of the women’s circuit stayed until the last moment at the central court of the WTA 1000 in Beijing to watch the debut of Elena Rybakina. What they didn’t know was that the story they were about to witness would be led by the world number 118: Alina Charaeva. Without a doubt, one of the major surprises of the season.

Rybakina arrived in China after missing the BJK Cup Finals and with the opportunity to extend her momentum from New York, where she claimed her third Grand Slam and secured the number one ranking for the first time in her career. Charaeva, on the other hand, came after a comeback win in her debut against Yuliia Starodubtseva and arrived at the match after more than three hours of battle. None of that seemed to matter when the match began.

Charaeva was not intimidated by the best

Today, the Armenian was better almost in every aspect. Rybakina managed to take the first set, but Charaeva didn’t crumble; instead, she raised the intensity from the back, found depth, punished the rallies, and especially surprised with a serve that did not allow the number 1 to find her usual comfort. The second set was the turning point, and from there, the world number 118 took charge.

The third set, where anything could happen, confirmed the magnitude of the surprise. Charaeva kept the pace, continued to dominate from the baseline and turned the court into an uncomfortable territory for a Rybakina who ended up losing her first match as the number 1 in the ranking (3-6, 6-4, 6-3). The Kazakhstani, champion of the US Open just a few weeks ago, thus exits Beijing at the first turn, a very bittersweet way to debut as the best player in the world.

To understand Charaeva's growth, we should also look towards Spain. The 24-year-old player has been working with Carlos Martínez, a Spanish coach who has supported her development throughout almost her entire career, since she was 15. In June 2025, Charaeva explained to Punto de Break how the Spanish school was helping her develop a game based on endurance and the ability to make her opponents suffer.

Now, in addition, she represents Armenia, a country she recently adopted as her sporting nationality. And while she pursues her first entry into the top 100, Charaeva has just knocked out the world number 1 on the biggest stage of her season.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, ¡Sorpresa en Pekín! La #118 del mundo tumba a Rybakina en su primer partido como Nº1