After significantly improving her form in the North American swing, Elena Rybakina was considered one of the top title contenders at the China Open. However, she slumped to a shocking 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 defeat to World No. 118 Alina Charaeva in the Round of 64. The Kazakh created unwanted WTA history with the defeat, breaking a record that had been in place for more than 50 years.

Rybakina has become the first World No. 1 player to suffer a comeback defeat against a player ranked below the top 100. The second player on the list is Alison Riske, who was ranked No. 55 when she defeated a World No. 1.

After losing the first set, it appeared that Rybakina would cruise to a routine victory, but Charaeva played the match of her life and stunned the fans in attendance by winning the next two sets. She gained five breaks of serve during the match as Rybakina committed several unforced errors, including seven double faults.

After the match, Rybakina admitted it was a forgettable day at the office for her and expressed concern about her condition. It appears that her Achilles tendon injury has still not fully healed, and that is why she will have to rest for the coming days.

“Today was definitely a very tough day on court,” she said in the post-match press conference. “A lot has happened since winning the US Open, and I haven’t really had much time to sleep properly and recover. Congratulations to Alina, she played a great match. Towards the end of the match, my foot started to feel a little uncomfortable, so I’ll need to take some time to recover and see what the schedule looks like for the next few weeks.”

Rybakina sustained the Achilles tendon injury at the Cincinnati Masters. Though there were doubts about her participation in the US Open at the time, she decided to play through the pain. The Kazakh had to take painkillers regularly so that she could continue with her campaign.

Though Rybakina did take her time off after the US Open by not participating in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, it seems that she would need to spend more time on the sidelines to fully recover. The latest fitness update casts doubt on her participation in the Wuhan Open, which will begin on October 12.

Having recently dethroned Aryna Sabalenka for the World No. 1 spot by winning the US Open, the last thing that Rybakina would want is an injury layoff. Her early exit in Beijing has handed Sabalenka an opportunity to cut down the gap in the rankings.

Aryna Sabalenka is in contention to win the China Open

Unlike Rybakina, Sabalenka made a strong start to her China Open campaign, defeating Renata Zarazua 6-1, 6-3. She will be taking on Nikola Bartunkova in the next round. The match can prove to be a tricky one for the Belarusian, as her previous meeting with Bartunkova at the Berlin Open went down to the wire and the match was decided in three sets.

Rybakina currently leads the rankings with 9,901 points, with Sabalenka right behind her at 7,810. There is currently a gap of 2,091 points between the two, but it could come down very quickly if Sabalenka has a remarkable Asian swing.

A triumph in Beijing would see Sabalenka reach 8,420 points, with Rybakina on 9,696. The Belarusian would also reach closer to Rybakina’s points tally for the WTA Finals race. She will rise to 7,485 points in the race, with Rybakina just ahead on 7,502.

If Rybakina continues to falter in the Asian swing, then it could open the door for Sabalenka to reclaim the No. 1 spot. But it won’t be an easy task, as she would need to have strong runs in Wuhan and in upcoming WTA 500 events such as Ningbo or Tokyo. It remains to be seen what the rankings will look like before the WTA Finals.