Elena Rybakina’s shock Beijing defeat takes a worrying turn with Wuhan withdrawal
World No. 1 Elena Rybakina withdrew from Wuhan one day after a stunning Beijing loss to No. 118 Alina Charaeva.
Elena Rybakina, the current world No. 1, suffered a shocking loss in her opening match at the China Open in Beijing on October 3, 2026. The 24-year-old Alina Charaeva upset the defending champion by winning the second set 6-4 and the third set 6-3, defeating Rybakina 6-3, 6-4, 6-3. This marked only the second time a world No. 1 lost their opening match since the WTA rankings began in 1975. Rybakina withdrew from the Wuhan Open the following day due to a persistent left ankle issue.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
