Aryna Sabalenka suffered a shock defeat to Nikola Bartunkova in just her second match at the China Open.
Sabalenka lost in the US Open final to Elena Rybakina last month, to whom she also conceded her world number one ranking.
In her first tournament since falling off the top of the WTA rankings, Sabalenka won her opening match against Renata Zarazua, but she has now fallen to a surprise early exit at the hands of world number 34 Bartunkova, who beat her 6-4, 6-3.
Sabalenka is not the only surprise loss at the China Open, with Rybakina losing her only match in Beijing, but the Belarusian has been particularly criticised for her actions after being beaten by Bartunkova.
Aryna Sabalenka criticised for ‘cold’ handshake after losing to Nikola Bartunkova
Following her shock defeat to Bartunkova, Sabalenka approached the net as customary and shook her opponent’s hand in what was a very swift exchange. Some tennis fans have taken exception to this from Sabalenka and criticised the four-time Grand Slam champion, calling her ‘cold’ and a ‘sore loser’.
One person wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter), “Another cold handshake by Sabalenka. She needs to be humble whether she wins or loses.”
Another added, “Dreadful example of an ungracious loser by Sabalenka. She’s a very bad example.”
The criticism continued for the world number two, “Sore loser Sabalenka.”
“That handshake was nasty.”
Sabalenka was criticised for her behaviour after losing the US Open final this year, and it appears that she has not redeemed herself with many tennis fans after her latest defeat.
“Look at that handshake this Sabalenka is a sore loser who just tries to act cool.”
“That handshake—come on, Sabalenka, you can do better. Sport is all about winning and losing.”
“Sabalenka being salty in the handshake is just her telling on herself honestly.”
While Sabalenka may not have spent a long time at the handshake, she did acknowledge her opponent’s victory, but it is clear that people are not satisfied with her behaviour after losing to Bartunkova in Beijing.
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Sabalenka, Gauff and Swiatek all went without a major title in 2026…
Aryna Sabalenka’s streak without a title continues at the China Open
Sabalenka began the 2026 season in sensational form, winning 23 of her first 24 matches of the year. This included Sabalenka completing the sunshine double in Indian Wells and Miami, but since then she has won 24 of her 33 matches.
While this is still an impressive record for most players, it has meant that Sabalenka has not won another title at her last nine tournaments. Sabalenka has also only reached one final during this time at the US Open.
| Aryna Sabalenka’s streak without a title | Result |
| Madrid Open | Quarter-final – Lost to Hailey Baptiste |
| Italian Open | Third Round – Lost to Sorana Cirstea |
| Roland Garros | Quarter-final – Lost to Diana Shnaider |
| Berlin Open | Semi-final – Lost to Jessica Pegula |
| Wimbledon | Fourth Round – Lost to Naomi Osaka |
| Canadian Open | Fourth Round – Lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova |
| Cincinnati Open | Fourth Round – Lost to Sara Bejlek |
| US Open | Final – Lost to Elena Rybakina |
| China Open | Third Round – Lost to Nikola Bartunkova |
This is the first time that this has happened to Sabalenka since 2024, when she went 10 tournaments without winning a title.
Sabalenka will be hoping to change this at her next tournament, which will be the Wuhan Open. The Wuhan Open is one of the most successful tournaments of Sabalenka’s career as a three-time former champion, having only lost her first match at the event for the first time last year against Jessica Pegula in the semi-finals.
