World number one Aryna Sabalenka’s preparations for the French Open have been dealt a significant blow after she crashed out of the Italian Open at the third round stage on Thursday. The Belarusian sustained a 2-6 6-3 7-5 loss against Romania’s Sorana Cirstea in Rome, marking her second defeat in just 11 days and her earliest departure since February 2025. The loss is particularly concerning for Sabalenka, who will defend her world ranking at Roland Garros in the coming weeks, after squandered six match points in a quarter-final defeat to Hailey Baptiste at the Madrid Open in the preceding weeks. With just four wins and two losses on clay ahead of the French Open, Sabalenka is under increasing pressure to rediscover her best form on the surface where she endured a disappointing final defeat last year.
A Concerning Streak Ended in Rome
Sabalenka’s defeat against Cirstea represents a dramatic collapse in form that will trouble the top-ranked player as she approaches the clay season’s most significant event. The 28-year-old had achieved an remarkable streak of reaching at least the quarter-finals in her preceding 17 straight tournaments, a run that highlights just how dominant she has been in the past few months. However, the Italian capital turned out to be the venue where that strong run fell apart, ending what had been a notable stretch of sustained excellence on the professional tour.
The character of the loss compounds Sabalenka’s concerns heading into Paris. She wasted multiple opportunities during the match, including when she broke Cirstea’s serve at 5-4 in the final set whilst the Romanian was serving to win. Yet she promptly gave away that advantage, a cycle of self-defeat that defined her afternoon in Rome. Coupled with her back problems needing treatment late in the third set, Sabalenka’s display indicated a player battling on both physical and mental fronts on clay.
- Sabalenka’s serve broken six times during the match against Cirstea
- Won only 56% of points on her first serve in Rome
- Earliest tournament exit since Dubai Championships in February 2025
- Ended 17-event run of quarter-final appearances or better
Bodily Difficulties and Service Problems
Old Issues Surface Anew
Sabalenka’s fitness level emerged as a notable issue during her third-round encounter with Cirstea in Rome. The world number one required a medical time-out towards the end of the third set to tackle problems with her lower-back area, a troubling development given the physical demands of clay-court play. The Belarusian’s choice to summon the trainer at 4-3 down suggested her pain was impacting her capacity to perform at full intensity, especially during crucial moments when she had to maintain her aggressive baseline game.
Speaking openly after the match, Sabalenka acknowledged that her body had hindered her performance throughout the contest. “I felt like my body was holding me back from performing on the top level,” she stated, a worrying acknowledgement with the French Open approaching rapidly. The back issue prompts concerns about her physical condition heading into Roland Garros, where the gruelling nature of best-of-three-set matches on clay demands full bodily dedication and freedom from injury concerns.
Service Analysis
Perhaps most worrying was the deterioration of Sabalenka’s serving ability, the very weapon that has characterised her rise to world number one. Her serve was lost a notable six times throughout the match, an unusually high figure for a player of her calibre. Whilst she made 72 per cent of her opening serves, she won just 56 per cent of points on those serves—a significant drop from her normal level. Her second serve proved even more problematic, with Sabalenka winning only 11 of 26 points, exposing her to Cirstea’s aggressive returns and exposing the vulnerability that had affected her performance from beginning to end.
| Statistic | Performance |
|---|---|
| First serve percentage | 72% |
| Points won behind first serve | 56% |
| Points won behind second serve | 42% (11 of 26) |
| Service breaks conceded | 6 |
Lost Moments Against Cirstea
Sabalenka’s capitulation against the departing Romanian was all the more frustrating given the numerous opportunities she squandered throughout the contest. The world number one was two sets and a break ahead, situations from which she could have easily beaten the veteran Cirstea. Most notably, at 5-4 in the third set, Sabalenka broke her opponent’s serve when the Romanian was serving to win the match—a crucial moment that should have given her the opportunity to secure victory. However, she promptly gave the lead away in the following game, a costly lapse in concentration that was ultimately deciding.
The momentum rapidly shifted in Cirstea’s favour following this critical error. Sabalenka then lost five consecutive games, a downturn that saw her visibly frustrated, slapping at a ball in irritation as her composure evaporated. Despite showing signs of a potential comeback when she broke Cirstea again whilst the Romanian served for the match at 5-4, Sabalenka could not maintain the pressure. Cirstea’s brilliant return of serve restored her lead, and she converted her opening match point when Sabalenka’s return sailed long, ending the Belarusian’s chances of saving the contest.
- Twice ahead by a set and break but failed to convert either advantage into victory
- Dropped five consecutive games whilst attempting to hold in the second frame
- Broke Cirstea at 5-4 in the third but promptly surrendered her own serve thereafter
French Open Arrangements in Peril
Sabalenka’s defeat against Cirstea constitutes a notable blow in her preparations for the French Open, which occurs later this month. The defeat represents her earliest exit from a competition since the Dubai Championships in February 2025, ending an remarkable run of making the quarter-finals in 17 consecutive tournaments. With only a fortnight left before Roland Garros, the top-ranked player will come in Paris with a troubling record on clay of four victories and two defeats—hardly the performance one would anticipate from a player of her calibre heading into one of tennis’s most prestigious events.
The physical impact of the match has also prompted concerns about Sabalenka’s readiness for the demanding demands of a Grand Slam. She needed a medical break late in the third set to tackle back problems, a worrying sign given the length and intensity of matches typically encountered at Roland Garros. Coupled with her second defeat in just three matches, having lost to Hailey Baptiste at Madrid on 28 April after squandering six match points, Sabalenka confronts growing pressure to reclaim her best form quickly if she is to challenge for the title this month.
Last Year’s Disappointment
Sabalenka will be determined to atone for her display in last year’s French Open final, where she sustained a crushing defeat to Coco Gauff. In that encounter, she committed a staggering 70 unforced errors in what she herself described as “the worst final I ever played.” That result still clearly weighs on her mind, and another early exit from Roland Garros would compound her dismay and raise serious questions about her capacity to translate her world number one ranking into Grand Slam titles on clay.