Aryna Sabalenka Drama Ends In Loss After Medical Timeout & Lost Lead

Last Updated:May 09, 2026, 22:47 IST

Aryna Sabalenka upset by Sorana Cirstea at Indian Open, medical timeout and late breaks shift momentum as Cirstea earns biggest victory.

Four-time Grand Slam champion Aryna Sabalenka, on Saturday, May 9, suffered a surprising defeat to 26th seed Sorana Cirstea in a three-set thriller at the Italian Open, with the match marred by a medical timeout for Sabalenka that completely ruined her rhythm.

The match started just as expected, with Sabalenka bagging two breaks to take the opening set before also winning the first two games of the second set.

Trailing by a set and a break, Cîrstea refused to back down, earning successive breaks from 2-3 behind in the second set to turn the momentum around and force a decider.

Cîrstea then bagged a break in the deciding set to move 4-3 ahead. With loss looming just two games away, Sabalenka took a medical timeout for what appeared to be a lower-back problem.

Sabalenka became the second big name to crash out of the final major tournament before the French Open, after Novak Djokovic was knocked out of the men’s draw on Friday.

After play resumed, Cîrstea held serve in the eighth game to move 5-3 ahead, but Sabalenka responded well by taking the next two games to level the deciding set at 5-5.

Just when it looked like Sabalenka was building momentum for a dramatic comeback in the deciding set, she lost her serve again as Cîrstea moved 6-5 ahead before sealing the match on her second chance in the 12th game.

Sabalenka, who entered Rome as the favourite for the women’s title, hadn’t suffered a round-of-32 exit since the Qatar Open in February last year. Notably, she was coming off a quarterfinal exit from the Madrid Open last month, where she lost to 30th seed Hailey Baptiste.

Sabalenka fell short in her quest for a maiden title in Rome, while Cîrstea moved on to face Linda Nosková in the next round after sealing the biggest victory of her career.

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