Aryna Sabalenka's injury and loss at Italian Open ahead of French Open
Consensus Summary
Aryna Sabalenka suffered a third-round defeat at the Italian Open on May 10, 2026, to Sorana Cirstea, marking her second loss in three clay-court matches this year. The world No 1 player struggled with a lower back and hip injury during the match, requiring a medical timeout and forcing her team to prioritize recovery ahead of the French Open, which begins on May 24. Sabalenka, who had dominated early in the match, attributed her poor performance to physical limitations, stating her body restricted her ability to play at her highest level. Cirstea, a 36-year-old veteran retiring at the end of the season, secured her first-ever victory over a world No 1 player, ending a 12-set losing streak against top-ranked opponents. Both sources agree Sabalenka will use the next two weeks to recover, though her clay-court form remains inconsistent this year, with no semi-final appearances in tournaments leading up to Roland Garros.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Aryna Sabalenka lost in the third round of the Italian Open (2026-05-10) to Sorana Cirstea with a score of 2-6, 6-3, 7-5
- Sabalenka suffered a lower back and hip injury during the match, requiring a medical timeout
- Sabalenka cited her lower back and hip as limiting her full rotation and performance, saying 'I feel like my body was limiting me from performing at the highest level'
- Sabalenka has two weeks to recover before the French Open starts on May 24, 2026, at Roland Garros
- Sabalenka lost her second match in three at clay-court tournaments this year, following a quarterfinal loss to Hailey Baptiste at the Madrid Open (2026-04-27)
- Sabalenka is the world No 1 tennis player and has won four Grand Slam titles
- Sorana Cirstea, aged 36, is retiring at the end of the 2026 season and has never beaten a world No 1 player before this match
- Sabalenka's team plans to focus on recovery with days off ahead of the French Open
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Sabalenka had a stellar run on hard courts, winning the Brisbane title, reaching the Australian Open final, and claiming back-to-back trophies in Indian Wells and Miami
- Sabalenka lost last year's French Open final against Coco Gauff
- This is the first time Sabalenka has lost before the quarter-final stage at any tournament since February 2025
- Sabalenka has failed to reach the semi-final in any clay-court tournament this year
- Sabalenka had won 26 of her first 27 matches at the start of the year
- Sorana Cirstea has never broken the top 20 in the WTA rankings, peaking at No 21 in 2013
- Cirstea is currently ranked No 14 in the live WTA Race
- Jannik Sinner won his second-round match at the Italian Open with a 6-3, 6-4 score against Sebastian Ofner
- Cameron Norrie lost in the second round of the Italian Open to Thiago Agustín Tirante (6-3, 7-5) and will next compete at the Geneva Open
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The Guardian states Sabalenka lost her second successive surprise loss, while ABC does not explicitly describe it as 'surprise' but notes it as a setback in her clay-court swing
- The Guardian mentions Sabalenka had beaten Tirante two weeks ago at the Madrid Open, but this detail is not included in ABC's article
Source Articles
Sabalenka exits Rome with injury concern ahead of French Open
Women's tennis world number one Aryna Sabalenka has a fortnight to recover from injury before the French Open after her loss in Rome.
Aryna Sabalenka shocked by Sorana Cirstea’s comeback win at Italian Open
World No 1 beaten 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 in third round in Rome Jannik Sinner eases through; Cameron Norrie out Aryna Sabalenka, the world No 1, suffered her earliest defeat in more than a year as she was toppled in the third round of the Italian Open by the soaring Romanian veteran Sorana Cirstea, who brilliantly held her nerve to close out a 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 win. The defeat marks a second successive surprise loss for Sabalenka, who started the clay-court season in some of the best form of her career after