Aryna Sabalenka suffered a third-round defeat at the Italian Open, marking her second early exit in as many tournaments and raising fresh injury concerns ahead of the French Open.
The Belarusian appeared firmly in control against Sorana Cirstea after racing to a 6-2, 2-0 lead, but the momentum quickly shifted as the experienced Romanian battled back to take the second set 7-5.
Sabalenka is renowned for her fighting spirit and refusal to lose, often finding ways to escape difficult early-round encounters even when far from her best level. However, this time the world No 1 was unable to recover after the match turned against her.
Once down an early break in the deciding set, Sabalenka took a medical timeout for a lower back issue and appeared to be in considerable discomfort while receiving treatment from the physio at courtside.
Her movement noticeably declined during the closing stages, with the Belarusian struggling to generate the same power and consistency from the baseline.
Although Cirstea was unable to serve out the contest at 5-4 in the final set, she regrouped impressively and eventually sealed a dramatic 2-6, 7-5, 7-5 victory to record one of the biggest wins of her career.
After a dominant opening set behind serve, which is one of her greatest weapons, Sabalenka suffered a significant drop in effectiveness on her first delivery. She won just 39 per cent of first-serve points in the second set compared to 68 per cent in the opener.
She finished the match having won 59 per cent of first-serve points overall – her lowest figure of the season.
At the Madrid Open, Sabalenka squandered six match points against Hailey Baptiste in the quarter-finals – a result that raised fresh questions over her status as the clear favourite heading into the French Open.
Prior to the Italian Open, the Belarusian hadn’t lost in the third round round – or before – since the Dubai Championships in February 2025.
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“I feel like I didn’t play well from the beginning till the end,” analysed Sabalenka.
“I started really well, but then I kind of dropped the level. Felt like my body was limiting me from performing on the highest level. She stepped in and played incredible tennis.”
I’d say that probably it’s like my lower back, connected to the hip, which kind of like limiting me from the full rotation. I guess we just going to have some days off. We’re going to spend it on recovery. That’s the plan I believe for now.”
The Romanian had never previously won a set in any of her six meetings against world No 1 players, including a 6-3, 6-3 defeat to Sabalenka earlier this season.
She is also the fifth-oldest player to defeat a WTA No 1 after Serena Williams (37), Venus Williams (36), Martina Navratilova (36), and Billie Jean King (36).
“I’ve very, very happy,” Cirstea exclaimed during her on-court interview after the victory.
“Aryna is an amazing player, she doesn’t need an introduction, she’s No 1 in the world.
“I’m very happy with the win and, again, I’m working really, really hard so it’s nice to have the hard work pay off.”
Cirstea is due to retire from professional tennis at the end of the season after spending two decades on tour, with career highlights including three singles titles and six doubles titles.
“Maybe if I win the tournament, I promise I’ll think about it,” joked Cirstea after being asked if she would reverse her decision to retire at the end of the season.
“It’s amazing what I feel in Rome, it’s why I still play, for these emotions, for this support, for the people, and thank you again for making me feel so welcome here in Rome.”
Cirstea will next face 13th seed Linda Noskova in the fourth round, a stage she also reached in 2024 before being defeated by American Madison Keys.
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