On verge of first WTA 1000 quarterfinal, get to know No. 118 Alina Charaeva
BEIJING -- World No. 118 Alina Charaeva put herself on the map with an upset, comeback win in Beijing over new World No. 1 Elena Rybakina, who was playing her first match since the US Open.
Monday, she defeat Sonay Kartal in a much smoother 6-4, 6-1 win to advance to the China Open fourth round and is on the verge of a spot in her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal, but will have to get through fan-favorite Chinese wild card Zheng Qinwen on Wednesday.
"It feels pretty special because it's my first time [in a WTA 1000 fourth round] and actually the first time in Beijing as well," Charaeva said. "I'm just really happy with my work and how I've manage my emotions and mental part as well."
Following her third-round win Monday, Charaeva sat down briefly with wtatennis.com in Beijing. Get to know the 24-year-old representing Armenia:
She's been with her coach for eight years
Charaeva's coach Carlos Martinez, and they have been working today for the last eight years. Martinez owns CMC Competition, a training tennis academy near Barcelona, Spain, where Charaeva resides.
Martinez has brought tons of experience to Charaeva, having worked with notable player Daria Kasatkina, Simona Halep, Svetlana Kuznetsova and more.
"He's actually like my father," Charaeva joked on how long she's worked with him. "'I'm really happy we achieved this moment together because this is our dream, and he's a really nice coach."
Charaeva has never played in a Grand Slam main draw
Charaeva has played qualifiers at each of the four majors at least once, but has never advanced out of the qualifying draw.
The closest she's come was falling short in the third round of qualifying at Wimbledon a few months ago and the 2025 US Open.
Should she continue winning in Beijing and end the season on a strong note, Charaeva could find herself with a strong enough ranking to earn direct entry into the Australian Open. Currently, she's projected to surpass her career high rank of No. 108, which she obtained ahead of the US Open.
During the Asian Swing last season, Charaeva advanced to the semifinal and final of two WTA 125 events in China and was eliminated in the first round in Tokyo and Chennai.
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1
-
|
8,370 | |
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2
-
|
6,743 | |
|
3
-
|
5,638 | |
|
4
-
|
3,566 | |
|
5
-
|
3,035 | |
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6
-
|
3,018 | |
|
7
-
|
2,917 | |
|
8
-
|
2,898 |
It's been a busy season
At the beginning of the season, Charaeva was sitting just outside of the top 160.
Now, with main draw 2026 appearances in Beijing, Rouen, Madrid, Iasi, Hamburg, Cincinnati, São Paulo and Seoul in addition a 125 title in Midland and other strong finishes at that level, Charaeva is the middle of her best season to date.
"Of course, people say this season is when you make a big step, but I feel it was not kind of like one big step," Charaeva said. "It was a lot of years of hard work for this result. This year and last year, I was much consistent. I didn't have a lot of injuries, so that's pretty great."
Her upcoming match against Zheng will be her 60th of the season with plenty more to go -- she has a 36-23 record on the season, including notable wins over Sofia Kenin in Seoul last week, Sara Bejlek at Birmingham 125 and Nikola Bartunkova at Madrid qualifying.
"This season I started to compete in a higher level, compete with a better players," Charaeva added. "For me and for my coach, our mentality is when I start to compete with better players -- even if I lose or win -- this is where you get the real level of tennis.
"I'm competing, maybe losing so much [sometimes], but we're really tight with really top players. That's where I build my level and I'm really happy that it's finally paying off."
The history she's made thus far
In her win over Rybakina, Charaeva made some unique history:
Representing Armenia, she became the first Armenian player to defeat a World No. 1 since the first WTA rankings in 1975.
Charaeva is now the second player to defeat a World No. 1 in that top player's first match holding that ranking, joining Kristina Mladenovic in Dubai 2019 -- Mladenovic defeated Naomi Osaka.
Since the debut of the rankings in 1975, she's the lowest-ranked player to complete a comeback win over a World No. 1.
Since 1990, Charaeva is just the third player to defeat the World No. 1 in their first match against a WTA top 10 opponent (Julie Coin, US Open 2008 and Kai Chen Chang, Tokyo 2009).
*Stats courtesy of OptaFacts
