Sabalenka Loses Early at China Open
Listen to the story
Aryna Sabalenka has been knocked out of the China Open in Beijing after a surprising loss. She was beaten by Nikola Bartunkova in straight sets.
The result is being described as a major upset, since Sabalenka is one of the top-ranked players in women's tennis. Bartunkova is a much less well-known player.
Winning in straight sets means Bartunkova did not drop a single set during the match. This made her victory even more impressive against such a strong opponent.
Sabalenka has had a successful career and is used to going deep into major tournaments. Losing early in Beijing will be seen as a disappointing result for her.
Bartunkova's win shows that she can compete with the best players in the sport. She will now move on to the next round of the China Open.
Tennis fans often enjoy upsets like this one, because they show that lower-ranked players can still beat top seeds. It adds excitement to tournaments.
No further details have been given about how the match was played, but the result alone has attracted a lot of attention in the tennis world.
Vocabulary5 words
- China Open
- a big tennis tournament held in Beijing
- straight sets
- winning every set in a match without losing one
- upset
- a surprising result where a weaker player wins
- tournaments
- big sports competitions with many matches
- seeds
- top players who are expected to do well
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Quiz
Answer key
1. She lost in straight sets to Nikola Bartunkova 2. Because Sabalenka is a top-ranked player and lost to a less famous opponent 3. False
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Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Aryna Sabalenka has been knocked out of the _____ in Beijing after a surprising loss.
She was beaten by Nikola Bartunkova in _____ sets.
The result is being described as a major _____.
Sabalenka is one of the top-ranked players in women's _____.
Winning in straight sets means Bartunkova did not drop a single _____.
Sabalenka has had a successful career and is used to going deep into major _____.
Losing early in Beijing will be seen as a disappointing _____ for her.
Bartunkova's win shows that she can compete with the best players in the _____.
She will now move on to the next _____ of the China Open.
Lower-ranked players can still beat top _____.
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