World number one Aryna Sabalenka experienced a significant setback in her French Open preparations, suffering a surprising 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 defeat to Romania’s Sorana Cirstea in the third round of the Italian Open in Rome. This marks Sabalenka’s second loss in her last three matches on clay.
Recent Struggles on Clay
The loss in Rome comes just 11 days after Sabalenka’s unexpected quarter-final exit at the Madrid Open on April 28th. In Madrid, she missed six match points against Hailey Baptiste, a defeat that was only her second of the entire year at that point.
Sabalenka’s defeat to the 27th-ranked Cirstea in the Italian Open represents her earliest tournament exit since the Dubai Championships in February 2025. This result also breaks an impressive streak of 17 consecutive tournaments where she reached the quarter-finals or better.
Physical Concerns and Performance Drop
Sabalenka cited physical limitations as a factor in her performance, taking a medical time-out late in the third set for treatment on her lower back. “I feel like I didn’t play well from the beginning till the end,” Sabalenka stated after the match. “I felt like my body was limiting me from performing on the highest level.”
The Belarusian struggled throughout the match, a stark contrast to her usual dominant form. Despite being twice a set and a break up against the veteran Cirstea, who is retiring at the end of the season, Sabalenka could not close out the match.
Serving Woes and Unforced Errors
Sabalenka’s serve, often considered the most improved and crucial aspect of her game that propelled her to the world number one ranking, was broken six times during the encounter. While she managed to get 72% of her first serves in, she only won 56% of those points.
Her second serve proved even more vulnerable, with Sabalenka winning just 11 out of 26 points played on it. This struggle was evident when she lost five consecutive games to concede the second set and fell behind early in the deciding third set.
A wide forehand error at 3-2 in the third set handed Cirstea a crucial break, a lead the Romanian maintained despite Sabalenka’s attempts to fight back. Sabalenka managed to break Cirstea when the latter served for the match at 5-4, but immediately surrendered the advantage in the subsequent game.
French Open Outlook
This loss means Sabalenka will enter the upcoming French Open with a modest record of four wins and two losses on clay for the season. Last year, Sabalenka reached the Roland Garros final but suffered a heavy defeat to Iga Swiatek, describing her performance with 70 unforced errors as “the worst final I ever played.”
Other Notable Results
In other action at the Italian Open, defending champion and home favorite Jasmine Paolini was eliminated by Elise Mertens of Belgium with a score of 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3.
Looking Ahead
Sabalenka’s recent form raises questions about her readiness for the demanding clay-court Grand Slam. All eyes will be on how she recovers physically and mentally, and whether she can regain her top form in Paris. The performance of other top contenders on clay in the lead-up tournaments will also be closely monitored as the French Open approaches.
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