Sorana Cirstea defeated the world’s top female player 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 in the third round, although the latter was suffering from lower back pain.
Published May 10, 2026
Aryna Sabalenka’s French Open preparations suffered a setback after losing in the third round to Sorana Cirstea at the Italian Open, and the world number one is now trying to shake off injuries ahead of the Grand Slam, which begins in two weeks.
Sabalenka needed medical treatment late in Saturday’s match against Cirstea, but lost 6-2, 3-6, 5-7, her second loss in three matches since falling to Haley Baptiste in the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open last month.
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It was the 36-year-old Romanian’s first win against the world No. 1, who is playing his final professional season.
“I’m very, very happy,” Cirstea said with a big smile. “Arina is a great player. I think she played really well today. She worked really hard and I’m glad this result paid off.”
Sabalenka was clearly frustrated by her performance on Center Court, hunching her shoulders and muttering to herself during an uncharacteristically sloppy play.
Sabalenka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, said in Rome: “I feel like I didn’t play well from start to finish. I started very well, but I dropped my level.”
“I felt like my body was limiting my ability to perform at the highest level. She stepped in and played great tennis. She didn’t give me a lot of chances. She didn’t give me a lot of chances.”
“It was a tough game, but I don’t think we’ll ever lose. We’ll just learn, so we’ll be fine.”
Sabalenka’s disappointing swing on clay followed an impressive run on hard courts that saw her win the title in Brisbane, reach the Australian Open final and win back-to-back trophies at Indian Wells and Miami.
The Belarusian said she hoped to recover in time for the French Open, which begins in Paris on May 24, after losing to Coco Gauff in last year’s final.
“I think it’s probably like the hips and hips are connected and the full rotation is restricted,” the 28-year-old added.
“I think I’m going to take a few days off and I’m going to use that to recover. That’s the plan for now.”
It was the second consecutive surprise exit for Sabalenka, who was upset by American Haley Baptiste in the Madrid Open quarterfinals last week.
Cirstea will next face Linda Noskova in the round of 16.
Defending champion Jasmine Paolini wasted three match points in a third-round home loss to Elise Mertens 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3.
The 30-year-old has failed to reach the fourth round for the fourth consecutive tournament and is expected to fall out of the top 10 of the women’s world rankings.
sinners start strong
Jannik Sinner started his Italian Open campaign by defeating Sebastian Offner 6-3, 6-4 to begin his quest for a record-breaking fifth straight Masters 1000 tournament victory.
Delighting fans on a packed Center Court, the world number one stood still with a predictably dominant performance, leaving Austria’s Offner with little breathing room in Rome’s breezy atmosphere.
Sinner racked up his 24th consecutive win in an hour and 40 minutes, and the 24-year-old barely broke a sweat, setting up a matchup with either Alexei Popyrin or Jakub Menshik in the third round.
No Italian has won the Foro Italico since Adriano Panatta 50 years ago, and with Carlos Alcaraz absent, Sinner is expected to do one better than last year, when he lost to his great rival in the final.
Sinner was so dominant that he had time to smile even when the match was stopped twice in the second set due to spectator illness.
“I’m very happy to be back here. It’s always been a special tournament for me,” Sinner said.
“I’m just trying to get into a good game rhythm again, even though I’ve played a lot in the last few months…I’m very happy. Let’s see what happens in the next round.”
Fourth-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime suffered a shock defeat in the second round to Mariano Navone of Argentina, with the Canadian losing in straight sets to his 44th-ranked opponent, 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/5).
