Aryna Sabalenka Shocks by Sorana Cirstea’s Comeback Win at Italian Open Aryna Sabalenka, the world No 1, suffered her earliest defeat in more than a year as she was toppled in the third round of the Italian Open by Sorana Cirstea, a 36-year-old Romanian veteran who staged a remarkable comeback to win 2-6, 6-3, 7-5. The result marked Sabalenka’s second consecutive surprise loss of the clay-court season, following her quarter-final defeat to Hailey Baptiste at the Madrid Open. Sabalenka had entered the tournament in strong form, having won 26 of her first 27 matches in 2025, including victories at the WTA 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami. This loss ended her hopes of reaching the semifinals in any clay-court tournament this year and marked her first defeat before the quarter-final stage since February 2025. Cirstea, who will retire from professional tennis at the end of the season, continued her resurgence on clay, securing her first-ever victory over a world No 1 player. The Romanian, who has never broken into the top 20 despite a 17-year career, now sits at No 14 in the live WTA Race. This win ended a streak of 12 straight losses to top-ranked players, with Cirstea dominating the final two sets after a slow start. The match saw Sabalenka dominate the first set, but Cirstea’s aggressive play and composure in the final two sets turned the tide. Sabalenka’s lower back injury, which forced her to receive a medical timeout in the final set, appeared to limit her performance. Despite visible discomfort, she fought back to level the match at 5-5, but Cirstea’s ability to control the majority of points in the final stages sealed the victory. Sabalenka acknowledged her physical struggles in a brief press conference, stating, “I feel like I didn’t play well from the beginning till the end.#jannik_sinner #aryna_sabalenka #sorana_cirstea #italian_open #wta_race
