Sorana Cirstea Stuns World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka at Italian Open as French Open Title Race Opens Up

Sorana Cirstea has defeated world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in a dramatic Italian Open third-round contest, winning 2-6, 7-5, 7-5 in Rome to record arguably the most significant victory of her two-decade professional career.

The result marks Sabalenka’s second successive early elimination, following a quarter-final defeat to Hailey Baptiste at the Madrid Open — a match in which the Belarusian squandered six match points. Prior to Rome, Sabalenka had not lost in the third round or earlier since the Dubai Championships in February 2025.

Sabalenka appeared to be cruising toward a straightforward victory after racing into a 6-2, 2-0 lead, but the match shifted dramatically as Cirstea fought back to claim the second set 7-5. When Sabalenka lost an early break in the deciding set, she called for a medical timeout to receive courtside treatment for a lower back issue. Her movement and power from the baseline visibly deteriorated in the closing stages, and although Cirstea failed to serve out the match at 5-4 in the third set, she recovered to close out the contest.

A sharp statistical decline on serve underlined Sabalenka’s deterioration across the match. After winning 68 per cent of first-serve points in the opening set, that figure dropped to just 39 per cent in the second. Her overall first-serve points won figure of 59 per cent was her lowest recorded mark of the season — a notable drop for a player whose serve is considered one of her most dangerous weapons.

“I’m very, very happy,” Cirstea said during her on-court interview following the win. “Aryna is an amazing player, she doesn’t need an introduction, she’s No. 1 in the world. I’m very happy with the win and, again, I’m working really, really hard so it’s nice to have the hard work pay off.”

The victory carries considerable historical weight for the experienced Romanian. She had never previously won a set in any of her six meetings against WTA world No. 1 players, which included a 6-3, 6-3 loss to Sabalenka earlier this season. With the win, Cirstea becomes the fifth-oldest player to defeat a WTA No. 1, joining Serena Williams (37), Venus Williams (36), Martina Navratilova (36), and Billie Jean King (36) in that company.

Cirstea has announced she will retire from professional tennis at the end of the current season after more than 20 years on tour. Her career record includes three singles titles and six doubles titles. When asked during her post-match interview whether the result might prompt a change of heart, she responded with characteristic warmth: “Maybe if I win the tournament, I promise I’ll think about it. It’s amazing what I feel in Rome, it’s why I still play, for these emotions, for this support, for the people, and thank you again for making me feel so welcome here in Rome.”

Cirstea will face 13th seed Linda Noskova in the fourth round — the same stage she reached at the Italian Open in 2024 before being eliminated by American Madison Keys.

For Sabalenka, the back-to-back early exits ahead of Roland Garros will raise questions about her fitness and form. The French Open is scheduled to begin later this month, and with the world No. 1 producing her most inconsistent clay-court stretch in recent memory, the door appears more open for rivals to challenge for the title. Novak Djokovic has also been cited in recent reports as carrying an injury concern ahead of Roland Garros, suggesting health issues could be a defining factor across both draws as the second Grand Slam of 2025 approaches.