Aryna Sabalenka’s Italian Open campaign came to a sudden end Saturday as Sorana Cirstea produced a major third-round upset in Rome, defeating the world No. 1 2-6, 6-3, 7-5.
Sabalenka, the top seed and one of the favorites for the title, looked in control early on. She raced through the opening set and appeared headed for a routine victory on center court. But the match changed sharply in the second set as Cirstea began to find more depth from the baseline and Sabalenka’s error count started to climb.
The Romanian broke Sabalenka three times in the second set to level the match, turning what had looked like a mismatch into one of the tournament’s biggest surprises. Cirstea then carried that momentum into the deciding set, continuing to pressure Sabalenka’s serve and forcing the Belarusian into uncomfortable exchanges.
Sabalenka was broken again after saving three break points to fall behind 3-2 in the third set. Two games later, she called for a medical timeout for treatment on an apparent left hip issue, adding another concern before the French Open later this month.
The treatment seemed to help briefly. Sabalenka fought back to draw level at 5-5 and looked as if she might escape. But Cirstea stayed composed in the final stretch, held serve, and then broke again to close out the biggest win of her career on her first match point.
The victory was Cirstea’s first over a reigning world No. 1 and sends her into the next round against Linda Noskova. The 36-year-old Romanian, seeded 26th in Rome, has now handed Sabalenka one of her earliest exits in more than a year. Official WTA scoring listed the match as a 2-hour, 13-minute contest.
For Sabalenka, the defeat is another jolt in the final major clay-court event before Roland Garros. She had not lost in the round of 32 at a tournament since the Qatar Open in February 2025 and was still chasing her first Italian Open title. Her exit also follows Novak Djokovic’s early loss from the men’s draw, leaving Rome without two of its biggest names before the second week.
Cirstea’s comeback reshapes the women’s draw and gives the veteran Romanian a rare late-career highlight on one of the sport’s biggest clay stages. Sabalenka, meanwhile, leaves Rome with questions over her form, her serve, and her fitness with the French Open approaching.
