Alina Charaeva, ranked No. 118, advanced to the fourth round of the China Open in Beijing on Monday with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Sonay Kartal.
The victory puts the 24-year-old Armenian on the verge of her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal.
Earlier in the tournament, Charaeva pulled off a major upset by coming back to defeat world No. 1 Elena Rybakina in the second round.
Rybakina was competing in her first match since the US Open.
That win made Charaeva the first Armenian player to beat a World No. 1 since the WTA rankings began in 1975.
She is also the lowest-ranked player to complete a comeback win against a top-ranked player and only the third since 1990 to defeat a World No. 1 in her first match against a top-10 opponent, according to wtatennis.
com.
Reflecting on her progress, Charaeva expressed satisfaction with her growth on court.
"It feels pretty special because it's my first time and actually the first time in Beijing as well," said Charaeva, World No. 118.
She credited her recent stability and mental preparation for helping her handle the physical demands of high-level competition.
"I'm just really happy with my work and how I've managed my emotions and mental part as well," said Charaeva.
Working alongside her coach Carlos Martinez for the past eight years at the CMC Competition academy near Barcelona, Spain, Charaeva noted that their long-standing partnership has been vital to her development.
Martinez previously coached prominent players including Daria Kasatkina, Simona Halep, and Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Speaking on her dynamic with her coach, Charaeva highlighted the close relationship they share as they reach career milestones together.
"He's actually like my father," said Charaeva.
She emphasized that their shared efforts over the years were finally yielding results on the international stage.
"I'm really happy we achieved this moment together because this is our dream, and he's a really nice coach," said Charaeva.
Charaeva has competed in the qualifying draws of all four Grand Slams but has yet to reach a main draw, falling just short in the third round of qualifying at Wimbledon and the 2025 US Open.
Her recent success in Beijing places her on track to pass her career-high ranking of No. 108 and potentially secure direct entry into the upcoming Australian Open.
Despite entering the season ranked outside the top 160, Charaeva has built a 36-23 record this year across main draw appearances in Beijing, Rouen, Madrid, Iasi, Hamburg, Cincinnati, São Paulo, and Seoul, alongside a WTA 125 title in Midland.
Addressing her steady progression throughout the tour, Charaeva described the continuous effort behind her breakthrough season.
"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," said Charaeva.
She credited consistent health and physical durability for enabling her to play regularly at a high performance level.
"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," said Charaeva.
As she prepares for her upcoming match, Charaeva noted that testing her game against elite opposition remains central to her long-term strategy.
"This season I started to compete in a higher level, compete with a better players," said Charaeva.
She pointed out that facing top-tier competition accelerates her growth, regardless of match outcomes.
"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," said Charaeva.
Concluding her reflection, Charaeva reiterated her confidence in competing against the world's best.
"I'm competing, maybe losing so much, 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," said Charaeva.
Charaeva will face Chinese wild card Zheng Qinwen on Wednesday in what will be her 60th match of the season.
