World number one Aryna Sabalenka suffered a second defeat in three matches as she was beaten by Sorana Cirstea in the Italian Open third round.
The Belarusian missed six match points in a quarter-final loss to Hailey Baptiste at the Madrid Open on 28 April in what was just her second defeat of the year.
And just 11 days later, Sabalenka’s French Open preparations suffered a further blow with a 2-6 6-3 7-5 defeat by Romania’s 27th-ranked Cirstea.
It is Sabalenka’s earliest loss since the Dubai Championships in February 2025, and it ends her streak of making the quarter-finals or better for 17 tournaments in a row.
The 28-year-old took a medical time-out late in the third set in Rome for treatment on her lower back, but she was below her best for much of the match.
“I feel like I didn’t play well from the beginning till the end,” Sabalenka said.
“I felt like my body was limiting me from performing on the highest level.”
The loss means Sabalenka will go into this month’s French Open with four wins and two losses on the clay.
Sabalenka was beaten by Coco Gauff in the Roland Garros final last year, committing 70 unforced errors in a performance she described as “the worst final I ever played”.
Sabalenka was twice a set and a break up on veteran Cirstea, who is retiring at the end of the season.
She also broke the 36-year-old when Cirstea served for the match at 5-4 in the third set, only to immediately hand the advantage back in the next game.
Sabalenka’s serve – the most improved part of her game and the key to her rise to the top of the rankings – was broken six times throughout the match.
She made 72% of her first serves but won just 56% of points behind it and could only take 11 of 26 points behind her second serve.
Sabalenka was left slapping at a ball in irritation after losing five games in a row to concede the second set and go an immediate break down in the decider.
She responded in the next game, but her service games always felt shaky, and a wide forehand handed Cirstea the break lead at 3-2.
Sabalenka called for the trainer and had her back stretched out while down 4-3. She then looked to be mounting a comeback after stopping Cirstea serving out the match at the first time of asking.
However, Cirstea returned brilliantly to restore her lead and converted her first match point thanks to a long Sabalenka return.
Earlier, defending champion and home favorite Jasmine Paolini was beaten 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 by Belgium’s Elise Mertens.
