World number one Aryna Sabalenka’s preparations for the French Open have suffered a major setback after she crashed out of the Italian Open in the third round on Thursday. The Belarusian suffered a 2-6 6-3 7-5 defeat to Romania’s Sorana Cirstea in Rome, marking her second defeat in just 11 days and her earliest departure since February 2025. The loss is especially worrying 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 earlier this month. With just four wins and two losses on clay ahead of the French Open, Sabalenka is under increasing pressure to find her peak performance on the surface where she suffered a disappointing final loss last year.
A Worrying Streak Ended in Rome
Sabalenka’s defeat against Cirstea signifies a sharp deterioration in form that will concern the top-ranked player as she heads towards the clay season’s most significant event. The 28-year-old had maintained an impressive run of making at least the last eight in her preceding 17 consecutive tournaments, a run that highlights just how dominant she has proven in the past few months. However, the Italian capital turned out to be the venue where that impressive record came crashing down, ending what was a remarkable period of consistent performance on the professional circuit.
The character of the loss compounds Sabalenka’s concerns heading into Paris. She wasted multiple opportunities during the match, including when she won Cirstea’s serve at 5-4 in the final set whilst the Romanian was serving for victory. Yet she promptly gave away that advantage, a pattern of self-sabotage that characterised her afternoon in Rome. Combined with her back issues requiring medical attention late in the third set, Sabalenka’s performance suggested a player struggling both physically and mentally on clay.
- Sabalenka’s serve broken six times during the match against Cirstea
- Won only 56% of points on her first serve in Rome
- First round exit since Dubai Championships in February 2025
- Ended 17-tournament streak of quarter-final finishes or better
Physical Challenges and Service Problems
Past Concerns Emerge Again
Sabalenka’s fitness level proved to be a notable issue during her third-round match with Cirstea in Rome. The top-ranked player required a medical break towards the end of the third set to tackle issues affecting her lower back, a concerning turn of events given the physical demands of clay-court play. The Belarusian’s choice to summon the trainer at 4-3 down indicated her discomfort was affecting her ability to compete at maximum intensity, particularly in crucial moments when she had to sustain her aggressive baseline play.
Speaking openly after the match, Sabalenka acknowledged that her body had compromised her play throughout the contest. “I felt like my body was holding me back from performing on the top level,” she admitted, a worrying acknowledgement with the French Open approaching rapidly. The back issue raises questions about her fitness heading into Roland Garros, where the demanding character of best-of-three-set matches on clay demands complete physical commitment and absence of injury worries.
Serve Pattern
Perhaps most worrying was the collapse of Sabalenka’s serve performance, the very strength that has shaped her climb to world number one. Her serve was lost a remarkable six times during the match, an exceptionally high figure for a player of her level. Whilst she made 72 per cent of her first serves, she won just 56 per cent of points on those serves—a considerable fall from her usual standards. Her second delivery proved particularly problematic, with Sabalenka winning only 11 of 26 points, exposing her to Cirstea’s attacking returns and revealing the weakness that had affected her form from opening to closing.
| 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 |
Squandered Opportunities Against Cirstea
Sabalenka’s capitulation against the retiring Romanian was all the more frustrating given the numerous opportunities she squandered throughout the contest. The world number one was twice a set and a break ahead, positions from which she could have easily dispatched the veteran Cirstea. Most notably, at 5-4 in the final set, Sabalenka broke her opponent’s serve when the Romanian was serving for the match—a critical juncture that should have given her the platform to force a deciding moment. However, she promptly gave the advantage back in the very next game, a damaging error in concentration that proved decisive.
The momentum rapidly shifted in Cirstea’s favour following this critical error. Sabalenka then lost five games in succession, a collapse 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 led by a set and break but could not capitalise on either advantage into victory
- Lost five straight games whilst serving to stay in the second set
- Broke Cirstea at 5-4 in the third but immediately lost her own serve thereafter
French Open Preparations in Peril
Sabalenka’s defeat against Cirstea represents a significant setback in her preparations for the French Open, which takes place in the coming weeks. The defeat marks her earliest exit from a competition since the Dubai Championships in February 2025, ending an remarkable run of reaching at least the quarter-finals in 17 straight events. With only a fortnight left before Roland Garros, the world number one will arrive in Paris with a concerning clay-court record of four wins and two losses—hardly the performance one would expect from a competitor of her standing approaching one of tennis’s most prestigious events.
The physical strain of the match has also sparked concerns about Sabalenka’s readiness for the demanding demands of a Grand Slam. She needed a medical break late in the third set to address back problems, a worrying sign given the intensity and length of matches typically encountered at Roland Garros. Coupled with her second defeat in just three matches, having fallen to Hailey Baptiste at Madrid on 28 April after squandering six match points, Sabalenka confronts mounting pressure to rediscover her best form promptly if she is to contend for the title this month.
Last Year’s Disappointment
Sabalenka will be eager to compensate for her performance in last year’s French Open final, where she suffered a devastating defeat to Coco Gauff. In that contest, she committed a remarkable 70 unforced errors in what she herself described as “the worst final I ever played.” That loss still undoubtedly weighs on her mind, and another early exit from Roland Garros would compound her dismay and cast doubt about her capability to turn her top-ranked ranking into major championship wins on clay.