Elena Rybakina lost her first match as the world’s number-one player at the China Open in Beijing. The reigning US Open champion was beaten by Armenia’s Alina Karajeva, ranked 118th in the world, 6-3, 4-6, 3-6. Rybakina was reported to be the 30th player to hold the top ranking since the world ranking was introduced in 1975. Only Naomi Osaka, in Dubai in 2019, had previously lost her first match as world number one. The 24-year-old Karajeva had never beaten a player ranked in the top 30 and recovered from a set and a break down against Rybakina, who was described as playing carelessly and serving moderately.