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Aryna Sabalenka was dumped out of the Italian Open in the third round by Sorana Cirstea, the world No 1 falling to a 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 defeat in Rome.
Sabalenka is the second star name to be eliminated from the final big tournament before the French Open, with Novak Djokovic being knocked out of the men’s event on Friday.
The 28-year-old, who had been the favourite for the women’s title in Rome, hadn’t been knocked out of a tournament in the round of 32 since the Qatar Open in February last year. But she failed in her attempt for a first tournament victory in the Italian capital, with Cirstea facing Linda Noskova in the next round after claiming the biggest win of her career.
Sabalenka looked set for a quick and clean win on centre court after romping to the first set, but errors and grumbling soon began to creep in, particularly on her service game. Cirstea broke Sabalenka’s serve three times on her way to levelling the match and she continued to pose problems heading into the decisive third.
Sabalenka lost her serve for the fifth time after saving three break points to go 3-2 behind in the third set, and two games later she called for a medical timeout for a problem with her left hip.
Treatment appeared to get Sabalenka back into the groove once she drew level at 5-5 in the set. But Cirstea held her nerve to win the next two games, sealing her first ever win over a woman at the top of the world rankings with her first match point.
Norrie ‘excited’ for French Open despite defeat
Cameron Norrie believes he is still well positioned for a strong performance at the French Open despite being shocked by his standard of play during Saturday’s frustrating 6-3, 7-5 loss to Thiago Agustín Tirante in the second round of the Italian Open.
Norrie, the British No 1, started the match with a slew of unforced errors, immediately falling 3-0 behind. Those tense early struggles set the tone for a difficult day against one of the most explosive players on the tour. Tirante’s massive first serve consistently scaled 140mph, peaking at 148mph, which the world No 69 backed up by dominating the baseline with his heavy forehand.
Having defeated Tirante two weeks ago at the Madrid Open, Norrie felt he should have done a much better job of proactively exposing the Argentinian’s backhand. “That put a bit of doubt in my mind a little bit during the rest of the match,” said Norrie. “I felt I needed to make a few more balls and I should have dictated the play a bit more. But he gave me nothing.
“Just a good lesson to learn against one of those guys who has a clear weakness in the backhand, which I wasn’t able to find. You need to be the one dictating the play so I’m very upset right now with the level, but I can’t be in better mental and physical shape getting into the French Open, so I’m really excited.”
This loss was particularly frustrating for Norrie. He has been in solid form this year, performing at a consistent standard and gradually rising up the rankings. This week marked his return to the top 20 for the first time since January 2024. A year ago he was ranked 91st and stuck in one of the worst slumps of his career, but he now sits at 19th in the rankings.
Norrie will next compete at the Geneva Open, which takes place a week before the French Open main draw begins. “I’m feeling so good physically, mentally,” he said. “This loss is just going to make me hungry, I think, but I was shocked with my level because I’ve been playing so well in practice, I can’t prepare better. So I’m excited and ready to play again.
“I would’ve liked to stay here and play and have a chance to win the tournament. I felt my level was there, but it’s OK. I’ll learn from that and next time I’ll be a bit more brave and trust my tennis and trust how well I’m playing.”
