Rybakina suffers shock loss to world No 118 in first match as world No 1

Elena Rybakina suffered a stunning defeat to world No 118 Alina Charaeva in her first match since becoming world No 1.

Rybakina reached the top of the world rankings after winning the US Open last month - her second Grand Slam title of 2026 - but was brought crashing back down to earth with a 6-3 4-6 3-6 defeat to Alina Charaeva at the China Open on Saturday afternoon.