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Sorana Cirstea stuns top seed Sabalenka at the Italian Open

Sabalenka started the match well ‌but seemed to be ‌struggling with an injury ‌later on, ‌as she took a medical timeout

By Reuters Published: 2026-05-09T21:58:00+04:00 1 min read

Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka reacts during her round of 32 match against Romania's Sorana Cirstea in the third round of Italian Open on May 9, 2026. REUTERS/Claudia Greco

Sorana Cirstea shocked top seed Aryna Sabalenka, ‌beating her 2-6 6-3 7-5 in their third-round clash at the Italian Open on Saturday.

The 36-year-old ⁠Romanian, who will retire later this year, beat a world number one ‌for the first time.

Sabalenka started the match well ‌but seemed to be ‌struggling with an injury ‌later on, ‌as she took a medical timeout when Cirstea ‌was leading the third ⁠set 4-3.

Romania's Sorana Cirstea celebrates after winning her round of 32 match against Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka REUTERS/Claudia Greco

Cirstea won the next game and was serving ⁠for ⁠the match, but Sabalenka fought back to make ⁠it 5-5. But Cirstea broke again to serve for the match.

Sabalenka, struggling with her backhand returns, ‌hit the net and sent two shots over the baseline, as Cirstea clinched victory.