Naomi Osaka crashed out at the China Open after suffering a shock first-round exit at the hands of Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
The 2019 champion was beaten by the world number 130, who prevailed 1-6 6-4 6-2 in just under two hours in Beijing.
Osaka has enjoyed a resurgence in recent times, reaching the Montreal final and US Open semi-finals to climb back into the WTA’s top 20.
The Japanese built on that momentum by dominating the opening set, and winning nine of the first 11 games for a 3-1 lead in the second.
However, Sasnovich broke back on the way to levelling the contest, and did not look back as she controlled the decider to book her place in round three.
An incredible moment!
Aliaksandra Sasnovich comes from a set down to defeat No.12 seed Osaka 1-6, 6-4, 6-2.#2025ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/t6RugOpCwT
— wta (@WTA) September 27, 2025
There were no such problems for Jessica Pegula, who eased past Alja Tomljanovic.
The fifth seed took just over an hour to wrap up a 6-0 6-3 victory and progress to the third round, where she will play Emma Raducanu, who beat Cristina Bucsa in straight sets, 6-3 6-3 to progress.
Data Debrief: Sasnovich stops the rot
Sasnovich, who won 10 of the last 13 games, claimed back-to-back tour-level victories for the first time since February, when she reached the semi-finals in Cluj-Napoca.
It was also her first top-20 win since defeating Ekaterina Alexandrova in Rome 16 months earlier, and first success in five meetings with Osaka.
The four-time major champion suffered her first defeat in a completed match in Beijing since 2018, having been forced to retire injured during her fourth-round clash with Coco Gauff last year.
AloJapan.com