Mirra Andreeva vs. Nikola Bartunkova — China Open 2026 Semifinal Match Report
Nikola Bartunkova had already taken out Aryna Sabalenka and Karolina Muchova in Beijing.
Against Mirra Andreeva, there was simply nowhere left to go.
The Russian swept past the 20-year-old Czech 6-2, 6-2, reaching the China Open final with a performance that was almost brutally complete. Bartunkova had a bad day at the service line, and Andreeva gave her virtually nothing.
The reward is substantial. Andreeva moves to a new career high of world No. 3, and after dismantling one of the stories of the tournament, she now looks like the clear favorite to win the China Open.
Mirra Andreeva Takes Control Almost Immediately
Andreeva began with a comfortable hold and immediately attacked Bartunkova’s serve.
The break came for 2-0, followed by another hold for 3-0.
Bartunkova still could not settle.
Andreeva broke again for 4-0, leaving the Czech staring at a set that was rapidly disappearing.
There was a brief response.
Bartunkova broke back for 4-1 and then held to reduce the deficit to 4-2. For a moment, she had stopped the match from running completely away from her.
Andreeva did not let that develop into anything more.
She held for 5-2 and broke again to close the opening set 6-2.
Three breaks in eight games had done the damage.
Set 1 at a Glance
- Bartunkova’s serve broke down. She held only once in four service games. Andreeva converted 3 of her 5 break points, and the damage came mostly on the second serve: Bartunkova won just 6 of 19 second-serve points.
- Andreeva’s service games went by quickly. She needed only 18 points on serve across four games, while Bartunkova played twice as many (36). Andreeva won two-thirds of her points on both first and second serve.
- Errors mattered more than winners. Bartunkova hit more winners (10 to 7) and even won more pressure points (7 to 5). But her 14 unforced errors, double Andreeva’s 7, helped Andreeva take 32 of the set’s 54 points.
Full Set 1 Stats
| Andreeva | Statistic | Bartunkova |
|---|---|---|
| Set 1 Duration: 0h39m | ||
| 1.67 | Dominance Ratio | 0.60 |
| 7 | Winners | 10 |
| 7 | Unforced Errors | 14 |
| 258 | Serve Rating | 161 |
| 0 | Aces | 1 |
| 1 | Double Faults | 3 |
| 50% (9/18) | 1st Serve % | 47% (17/36) |
| 67% (6/9) | 1st Serve Points Won | 59% (10/17) |
| 67% (6/9) | 2nd Serve Points Won | 32% (6/19) |
| 0% (0/1) | Break Points Saved | 40% (2/5) |
| 244 | Return Rating | 191 |
| 41% (7/17) | 1st Return Points Won | 33% (3/9) |
| 68% (13/19) | 2nd Return Points Won | 33% (3/9) |
| 3/5 | Break Points Won | 1/1 |
| 32 | Total Points Won | 22 |
The Second Set Offers Bartunkova Even Less
Bartunkova at least stayed level through the first two games of the second set.
Andreeva held for 1-0, Bartunkova answered for 1-1, and the Russian moved ahead again at 2-1.
Then the same pattern returned.
Andreeva broke for 3-1 and consolidated for 4-1.
Bartunkova held for 4-2, but that was as close as she would get.
Andreeva held for 5-2 and broke once more to finish another 6-2 set.
There was no late resistance, no momentum swing and no opening for another comeback.
Bartunkova had simply met someone operating at a different level.
Set 2 at a Glance
- Bartunkova never got a look on Andreeva’s serve. Andreeva held all four service games again in this set and faced no break points. She won 12 of 14 points behind her first serve, and Bartunkova won only 4 of 20 return points in the set.
- Andreeva kept up the pressure on return. She created five break points and converted two, which was enough. Bartunkova saved the other three, so the set didn’t get away from her any faster.
- An even cleaner set from Andreeva. She hit 9 winners to 3 unforced errors, a sharp turnaround from Set 1’s 7 and 7. Her dominance ratio rose to 2.29, and she won 27 of the 44 points played.
Full Set 2 Stats
| Andreeva | Statistic | Bartunkova |
|---|---|---|
| Set 2 Duration: 0h39m | ||
| 2.29 | Dominance Ratio | 0.44 |
| 9 | Winners | 6 |
| 3 | Unforced Errors | 6 |
| 324 | Serve Rating | 212 |
| 1 | Aces | 0 |
| 0 | Double Faults | 1 |
| 70% (14/20) | 1st Serve % | 54% (13/24) |
| 86% (12/14) | 1st Serve Points Won | 54% (7/13) |
| 67% (4/6) | 2nd Serve Points Won | 55% (6/11) |
| – (0/0) | Break Points Saved | 60% (3/5) |
| 181 | Return Rating | 47 |
| 46% (6/13) | 1st Return Points Won | 14% (2/14) |
| 45% (5/11) | 2nd Return Points Won | 33% (2/6) |
| 2/5 | Break Points Won | 0/0 |
| 27 | Total Points Won | 17 |
The Numbers Show Just How Wide the Gap Was
The winner count was identical at 16 apiece.
Almost everything else tilted sharply toward Andreeva.
Bartunkova committed 20 unforced errors, twice Andreeva’s 10. The Russian won 78 percent of first-serve points and 67 percent behind her second serve.
Most damagingly, Andreeva broke five times from 10 opportunities, while Bartunkova managed only one break in the entire match.
Andreeva won 60 percent of all points, 59 to 39.
Her dominance ratio of 1.96 compared with Bartunkova’s 0.51 makes the imbalance even clearer. Statistically, this was not merely a comfortable semifinal victory. It was an overwhelming one.
Full Match Stats Mirra Andreeva vs Bartunkova
| Andreeva | Statistic | Bartunkova |
|---|---|---|
| Full Match Duration: 1h14m | ||
| 1.96 | Dominance Ratio | 0.51 |
| 16 | Winners | 16 |
| 10 | Unforced Errors | 20 |
| 294 | Serve Rating | 182 |
| 1 | Aces | 1 |
| 1 | Double Faults | 4 |
| 61% (23/38) | 1st Serve % | 50% (30/60) |
| 78% (18/23) | 1st Serve Points Won | 57% (17/30) |
| 67% (10/15) | 2nd Serve Points Won | 40% (12/30) |
| 0% (0/1) | Break Points Saved | 50% (5/10) |
| 216 | Return Rating | 168 |
| 43% (13/30) | 1st Return Points Won | 22% (5/23) |
| 60% (18/30) | 2nd Return Points Won | 33% (5/15) |
| 5/10 | Break Points Won | 1/1 |
| 59 | Total Points Won | 39 |
Bartunkova’s Beijing Run Still Changes the Picture
For Bartunkova, there is little long-term damage in losing this way.
Her tournament had already been extraordinary.
She beat Sabalenka and Muchova, reached a WTA 1000 semifinal and further established herself as one of the most interesting young players in the Czech generation.
One poor afternoon against Andreeva does not undo any of that.
It simply showed where the bar currently sits.
Andreeva is already there.
World No. 3 and Now the Favorite
The Beijing run has pushed Andreeva into the top three for the first time.
She has reached the stage where WTA 1000 titles should regularly be available to her, while some more Grand Slam victories no longer look like distant possibilities either.
If she carries this level into the WTA Finals in Indian Wells later this year, there is every reason to think the top three can become more than a temporary stop.
First, though, there is Beijing.
Andreeva will face the winner of Qinwen Zheng and Elise Mertens in the final.
After what she just did to Bartunkova, neither will need reminding who enters it as the player to beat.