Nikola Bartunkova extended her China Open run into the quarterfinals on Tuesday, beating Sinja Kraus 6 to 0, 4 to 6, 6 to 3 two days after eliminating the world number two.
How far has she come?
Further than her ranking suggests. The 34th ranked Czech beat Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets in the third round on Sunday, and has now won three matches at a tournament where both top seeds were gone inside the first week. She next faces seventh seeded compatriot Karolina Muchova in a first meeting between them.
How did Muchova get there?
Barely. She beat Naomi Osaka 7 to 5, 1 to 6, 7 to 6 in just under three hours, surviving multiple match points in the deciding tiebreak. She said afterwards she had not believed she would finish the match, that she lost count of the match points, that she was shaking, and that Osaka could as easily have been the one advancing.
What decided that match?
Conversion. Osaka hit 11 aces but took only five of ten break point chances. In a match settled by a tiebreak at the end of a third set, half of those opportunities taken rather than missed is the margin.
Who else went out?
The fifth seed. Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova lost 6 to 2, 6 to 2 to 19th seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova in just over an hour, winning none of her four break points while being broken four times and committing six double faults. Alexandrova won 88 percent of points behind her first serve, taking 21 of 24.
Is that an upset?
On seeding yes, on form less so. Alexandrova is ranked 25th and has now beaten a reigning Wimbledon champion decisively. Noskova had won both her singles rubbers for Czechia at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals days earlier, so the schedule may be a factor, though she has not said so.
Who does Alexandrova face?
Mirra Andreeva, the fourth seed, who won the French Open in May. Alexandrova leads their head to head 2 and 0 and has not dropped a set in either meeting, which makes the seeding gap less meaningful than it appears.
What does the draw look like now?
Unusually open. Both top seeds were eliminated in the first week, the fifth seed has followed, and one quarterfinal is between a player ranked 34th and the seventh seed. A China Open at this stage would normally still contain most of its leading names.
What is the Czech presence?
Substantial. Bartunkova and Muchova meet in one quarterfinal and Noskova was in the draw until Tuesday, which continues a pattern visible across team competition this autumn where Czech depth has been the story on both the men’s and women’s sides.
