Czech tennis player Sara Bejlek beats Alycia Parks to reach Ningbo Open last 16
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The gist
Czech tennis player Sara Bejlek beat Alycia Parks 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the Ningbo Open first round.
The No. 32 seed next faces Romania's Sorana Cirstea for a quarterfinal place.
Background
Sara Bejlek is a 20-year-old Czech tennis player, ranked No. 32, who won her first career title at the Abu Dhabi WTA 500 in February 2026 and reached her first WTA 1000 semifinal in Cincinnati in August. She arrived in Ningbo after an uneven run, having beaten Maddison Inglis but lost to Cristina Bucsa twice, Naomi Osaka and Jasmine Paolini in her previous five matches. Alycia Parks, a 25-year-old American ranked No. 64 and known for one of the biggest serves on the WTA Tour, entered the main draw as a lucky loser after losing four of her previous five contests.
How it unfolded
- Feb 2026Ranked No. 101, Bejlek came through qualifying in Abu Dhabi and won the WTA 500 title, beating Ekaterina Alexandrova in the final for her first career title, rising 63 places into the top 50.
- Aug 2026Bejlek reached her first WTA 1000 semifinal in Cincinnati on her debut at the event, the youngest semifinalist in the draw, lifting her into the top 30 for the first time.
- Oct 4, 2026At the WTA China Open, Bejlek lost in the third round to Naomi Osaka 6-4, 7-6.
- Oct 12, 2026At the Wuhan Open, Bejlek lost in the second round to Jasmine Paolini 3-6, 4-6.
- Oct 20, 2026Bejlek beat Alycia Parks 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in 2 hours and 24 minutes in the Ningbo Open first round, putting her into the Round of 16 against Sorana Cirstea.
Who’s saying what
- Player
- Bejlek said she was very happy to win despite not feeling her best, and that it is her first time in China and she is enjoying Ningbo, including daily dinners at an Italian restaurant she found.
Still unverified
Sources disagree on Bejlek's head-to-head record against Parks: one says the result gives her a 2-0 record in their recent meetings, while another says she had beaten Parks in all three previous meetings and the win stretched her lead to 4-0.