Real Madrid crisis opens door for ā¬120 million deal with Liverpool
Real Madrid's crisis could open the door for a ā¬120 million deal with Liverpool.
Aryna Sabalenka was eliminated from the Italian Open after losing to Sorana Cirstea in the third round. Despite a strong start, Sabalenka couldn't keep her winning streak alive.
Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images
Aryna Sabalenkaās run at the Italian Open came to an unexpected halt after she was knocked out by Sorana Cirstea in the third round.
Sabalenka, who entered the tournament as the top seed, had started well with a straight-sets win over Barbora Krejcikova. But against Cirstea, she couldnāt maintain that momentum.
The world number one took the first set comfortably enough before fading, losing 6-2, 3-6, 5-7 to Cirstea. The result gives Cirstea a shot at Linda Noskova next as she continues her final season on tour before retirement.
It wasnāt what Sabalenka had hoped for from her time in Rome. Still, she appeared upbeat despite the result and focused on learning from it.
Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images
Following her early departure from the Italian Open, Sabalenka took to Instagram to share her thoughts, posting: āNot every story ends the way you want, but every chapter teaches you something.
āRome, thank you for the love. Ciao bella, see you soon.ā
Despite the setback, Sabalenka maintains a strong 27-3 record for the season and has started 2026 on a high note.
She kicked off her year by winning in Brisbane and followed that up with consecutive WTA 1000 titles at Indian Wells and Miami.
Sabalenka finished the match with two aces, one double fault, and a solid 71.7% first serve percentage. While her serving numbers were decent, her return game still looked flat.
Aryna Sabalenka lost to Sorana Cirstea in the third round due to an inability to maintain her momentum after a strong start.
Aryna Sabalenka entered the Italian Open 2023 as the top seed.
In her first match at the Italian Open, Aryna Sabalenka won convincingly in straight sets against Barbora Krejcikova.
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She won just 43.8% of first return points and 48.9% of second returns, both below what she needed on the day.
And those numbers have been a trend this year. Sabalenka ranks 44th on tour for return points won at 44.8%, and just 54th in return games won at 36.7%. Both are well below where sheād like them to be.
Her clay season hasnāt hit full stride yet, either. After a quarterfinal exit in Madrid and an early loss in Rome, itās been a slow start.
The Belarusian made it all the way to last yearās final, coming up just short against Coco Gauff in three sets: 7-6(7-5), 2-6, 4-6.
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