The abyss of Sabalenka knows no end

Andrés Tomás Rico - 4 Oct 2026 | 08:41
WTA Aryna Sabalenka WTA Pekín 2026

The Belarusian fell in the second round of the WTA 1000 in Beijing against Bartunkova in a very poor and alarming performance, which practically seals the number one spot for Rybakina.

 

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Sabalenka's Abyss Has No End. Photo: Getty Images

Aryna Sabalenka needs a vacation. The world number two is going through one of the worst moments of her career in a 2026 almost to forget. Apart from her success at the Sunshine Double (Indian Wells and Miami Open), the Belarusian has not come close to her best level shown in previous years. Intermittent, inconsistent, nervous, the player from Minsk has been in a crisis for quite some time and does not seem to be getting out of it anytime soon. The latest case is her defeat in the second round of the WTA 1000 in Beijing against Nikola Bartunkova (6-4, 6-3).

The young Czech surprised a Sabalenka who keeps repeating the same behaviors from the past months. Long faces, defeatist attitude from the start of the match, her racket on the ground several times and, most worryingly, the feeling of disarray in her tennis with multiple unforced errors and zero alternatives when her aggressive play is not working.

The pressure of being the world number one for over two years, the rise in the level of Elena Rybakina, and the demands of a circuit that waits for no one have increasingly sunk a Sabalenka who seems completely burned out from tennis and everything surrounding it.

Sabalenka hasn't won a tournament since the Miami Open last March

There is just over a month left until the tennis season ends on the women's circuit. Sabalenka will need to disconnect more than many other tennis players, but when she prepares for the 2027 season, she will have to focus on her mentality, and also her tennis. The lack of variety in her game, when facing a player who can endure a rally of more than three or four shots, only penalizes her. If she wants to be the best in the world again, she needs to implement new things into her repertoire.

To make matters worse, if she had any aspirations to regain the world number one position before the year ended, the options after this defeat in the second round of the WTA 1000 in Beijing have greatly diminished, despite Rybakina's early loss.

With the WTA 1000 in Wuhan and the WTA Finals, which this year will take place in Indian Wells, still to be played, the difference between Rybakina and Sabalenka is 2,211 points while there are still 2,500 points available. Therefore, a debacle from the Kazakh and a resurrection from the Belarusian is needed. And the second seems harder than the first.

Meanwhile, Bartunkova achieves one of the most special victories of her early career. The 20-year-old Czech debuted her best WTA ranking (34th) upon her arrival in Beijing after reaching the third round at the US Open. So far, she hasn't won any WTA titles, but she has reached two finals and made it to the third round in all Grand Slams, except for Roland Garros. Now she moves into the round of 16 where she awaits Sinja Kraus.
 

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El abismo de Sabalenka no tiene fin