Sabalenka crashes out of Italian Open, raising injury concerns ahead of Roland Garros
Al Jazeera
Aryna Sabalenka lost to Sorana Cirstea 6-2, 3-6, 5-7 in the Italian Open third round, her second defeat in three matches. The four-time Grand Slam champion cited a lower-back and hip issue that limited her movement, casting doubt on her fitness for the May 24 French Open. Cirstea, 36 and in her final season, earned her first win over a world No.1 and will next face Linda Noskova.
Aryna Sabalenka fell 6-2, 3-6, 5-7 to Sorana Cirstea in the third round of the Italian Open on Saturday. It was the second loss in three matches for the Belarusian, who was beaten by Hailey Baptiste in the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open last month.
Sabalenka, 28, required medical attention late in the match. She said a problem with her lower back and hip had restricted her movement. 'I felt my body kept me from playing at my highest level. She (Cirstea) played great tennis and didn't give me many opportunities,' Sabalenka said.
It was Cirstea's first career win over a world No.1. The 36-year-old, playing her final season, said: 'I'm very, very happy. Aryna is a great player. I think I played really well today.'
Sabalenka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, hopes to recover in time for the French Open starting May 24, where she lost to Coco Gauff in last year's final. 'I think we'll take a few days off and spend time recovering. That's the plan for now,' she added.
In other news, defending champion Jasmine Paolini lost to Elise Mertens 4-6, 7-6, 3-6 despite holding three match points. She will drop out of the world top 10 after failing to reach the fourth round for the fourth consecutive tournament.
On the men's side, Jannik Sinner opened with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Sebastian Ofner as he chases a record fifth straight Masters 1000 title. Sinner extended his winning streak to 24 matches in just 1 hour 40 minutes. In the third round, he will face Alexei Popyrin or Jakub Mensik.
No.4 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime suffered a shock 7-6, 7-6 defeat in the second round to world No.44 Mariano Navone.
Cirstea will face Linda Noskova in the round of 16.
