Czech tennis player Nikola Bartunkova enters Tokyo draw as replacement, faces Sasnovich
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The gist
Czech tennis player Nikola Bartunkova, ranked No. 29, was named a replacement at the WTA Toray Pan Pacific Open after six withdrawals.
She faces Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the first round in Tokyo.
Background
Nikola Bartunkova is a Czech tennis player ranked No. 29, with a 34-19 match record in 2026. She entered the Tokyo draw as a replacement after six players withdrew from the WTA Toray Pan Pacific Open, with Iga Świątek's withdrawal opening her spot. She arrives after her best WTA 1000 result, a run to the China Open semifinal, where she lost to Mirra Andreeva.
How it unfolded
- Oct 6, 2026Bartunkova beat Sinja Kraus 6-4, 6-3 in the China Open Round of 16.
- Oct 8, 2026She beat No. 7 seed Karolina Muchova 6-3, 6-0 in the China Open quarterfinal.
- Oct 10, 2026She lost to No. 4 seed Mirra Andreeva 2-6, 2-6 in the China Open semifinal.
- Oct 13, 2026She beat Lilli Tagger 7-6, 2-6, 6-1 in the Wuhan Open second round.
- Oct 14, 2026She lost to No. 15 seed Jasmine Paolini 6-7, 3-6 in the Wuhan Open third round.
- Oct 24, 2026Bartunkova was named as the replacement for Iga Świątek at the WTA Toray Pan Pacific Open.
- Oct 27, 2026Sasnovich (No. 112) is scheduled to face Bartunkova (No. 29) in the Toray Pan Pacific Open at Ariake Coliseum & Ariake Tennis Forest Park in Japan on hard court.
Who’s saying what
- Analysts
- Bleacher Nation/Data Skrive lists Bartunkova as the favorite (-208) over Sasnovich (+160), with implied win chances of 67.5% and 38.5%.
- Caution
- Tennis Tonic notes Bartunkova has an unfavourable 1-3 record against her projected Tokyo opponents.
Still unverified
The final replacement for Elina Svitolina's spot is yet to be confirmed, to be filled by a lucky loser or qualifier. Sky Sports lists Sasnovich v Bartunkova as a first-round match, while Bleacher Nation lists it as the Round of 32.