Sabalenka suffers second defeat in three matches

Aryna Sabalenka has never won the Italian Open title [Getty Images]

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 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.

It 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".

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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.