Aryna Sabalenka stunned by Sorana Cirstea in Rome third-round upset

Aryna Sabalenka suffered a shock third-round defeat at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Saturday, falling to Sorana Cirstea after the Romanian rallied from a set down to claim one of the biggest wins of her career in her final season before retirement.

The No. 1 seed appeared to be sailing toward victory after taking the opening set and building a 2-0 lead in the second. But Cirstea stormed back to win 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 in a dramatic upset in Rome.

For the 36-year-old Romanian, who has announced this will be her final professional season, even a first career victory over a reigning WTA world No. 1 may not be enough to change her retirement plans.

“Maybe if I win the tournament, I promise I will think about it!” a grinning Cirstea joked during her post-match interview. “Yes, absolutely.”

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Cirstea’s victory also ended an impressive run of consistency for Sabalenka. It marked the first time the Belarusian has failed to reach at least the quarterfinals of a tournament since Dubai in February 2025—a streak spanning 17 consecutive events.

The loss continues a difficult stretch on clay for Sabalenka after an otherwise dominant start to the 2026 season. Earlier this year, she reached four consecutive hard-court finals, winning titles in Brisbane, Indian Wells, and Miami, while also finishing runner-up to Elena Rybakina at the Australian Open.

Clay, however, has proven more challenging. Sabalenka was defeated in the Madrid Open quarterfinals by Hailey Baptiste, 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (6), after missing six match points against the rising American. In Rome, she opened with a win over Barbora Krejcikova before falling to Cirstea in three sets.

Now, concerns are mounting ahead of Roland Garros, where Sabalenka reached the final in 2025. During the deciding set against Cirstea, she took a medical timeout for pain in her lower back and hip. After the match, she said the issue had been “limiting me from full rotation” and affecting her performance.

“I feel like I didn't play well from the beginning till the end,” Sabalenka said in a statement provided to the WTA. “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. Didn't really give me much opportunities.

“Yeah, that was a tough one. But I guess we never lose; we only learn, so it's okay.”

Cirstea advances to the round of 16, where she will face No. 13 seed Linda Noskova. Earlier Saturday, the 21-year-old Czech defeated Oleksandra Oliynykova 6-1, 6-3.