BEIJING — World No.1 Elena Rybakina could not regroup and fell to 118th-ranked Alina Charaeva in the second round of the China Open on Saturday night in Beijing. The 27-year-old from Kazakhstan was playing her first match since seizing the top ranking on her US Open win in New York, but Armenia’s Charaeva triumphed, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, in a clinical comeback. “I don’t have words,” said Charaeva, who is making her Beijing debut. “This is incredible,” the 24-year-old said. “She’s [an] amazing player, and for me it’s kind of just dream come true,” she said of Rybakina. “I will be really happy to stay some more days in Beijing,” she added. “Never stop believing, I guess.” Rybakina got off to a solid start, but seven double-faults ushered the momentum into the hands of her opponent. Wind rattled the closed-roof stadium, with both players serving as thunderous claps echoed over the court. A supportive crowd tried to rally Rybakina back into contention, but Charaeva held serve to win the match in two hours and 11 minutes. Charaeva faces Briton Sonay Kartal in the third round. Meanwhile, big-serving Alexander Zverev trounced home hopeful Shang Juncheng, 6-0, 6-3, to set up a quarterfinal clash with Novak Djokovic. The German top seed needed just 55 minutes to brush aside the Chinese wild card, ranked 250th, firing nine aces along the way. “Happy with the win,” the world’s second-ranked player said, adding that his 21-year-old opponent had been “dangerous” and had “nothing to lose.” “Looking forward to the next couple of weeks,” Zverev said ahead of his tie with Djokovic — who has never lost a match in Beijing — on Sunday. Zverev’s cruise into the next round comes as he trains his sights on the No. 1 spot currently held by Jannik Sinner. The Italian won in Beijing last year but is not there this time around. He said on Saturday that he would not play at next week’s Shanghai Masters either. “I think it’s no secret that it’s a goal, for sure,” Zverev told reporters when asked about the battle for No. 1. “I know what I’m playing for. I know I’m very, very motivated to play at the moment. But again, I have a tough challenge tomorrow, and that’s my focus,” he said. Also in the men’s draw, third seed Daniil Medvedev eased into the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff to play Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo. Alex de Minaur, seeded fifth, and Andrey Rublev both needed three sets to advance and will play each other in the last eight. AFP