Aryna Sabalenka became the second high-profile player to exit the Italian Open early after a surprising third-round defeat on Saturday. The world number one and pre-tournament favorite lost 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 to Sorana Cirstea, following men's tennis icon Novak Djokovic in an early departure from the Rome event.
Sabalenka's Frustration and Injury Concerns
Sabalenka was visibly frustrated with her performance on center court, muttering to herself with slumped shoulders during an uncharacteristically sloppy display. The 28-year-old had not been eliminated in the round of 32 since the Qatar Open in February last year. She started strongly, racing to the first set, but failed to secure her first tournament victory in Rome. Cirstea will face Linda Noskova in the next round after achieving her first career win over a top-ranked player.
Sabalenka also required a timeout for what appeared to be a left hip problem, casting doubt on her fitness ahead of Roland Garros later this month.
Gauff Advances, Paolini Defeated
French Open champion Coco Gauff remains in contention after a hard-fought 5-7, 6-0, 6-4 victory over Argentina's Solana Sierra, lasting over two hours. Gauff has struggled on clay this season, with a last-16 exit in Madrid following a quarterfinal run in Stuttgart.
Jasmine Paolini's defense of her Italian Open title ended prematurely as the home favorite fell to Elise Mertens 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 in an error-strewn performance. The 30-year-old is set to drop out of the top 10 after failing to reach the fourth round for a fourth consecutive tournament. Her fate turned on failing to convert three match points at 6-5 in the second set, after which she lost the first two points of the tie-break and never recovered.
"I didn't make the most of my chances. I needed to keep a clearer head and stay calm in those moments," Paolini told reporters. "I'm very disappointed to lose, but there were moments I felt good on court and was competitive and positive."
Sinner Mania
Jannik Sinner will take to center court later on Saturday as a hot favorite to extend his run of five consecutive Masters 1000 tournament victories. Austria's Sebastian Ofner stands in the way of Sinner winning a 24th straight match, with few expecting anything more than a rapid straight-sets victory.
No Italian man has won at the Foro Italico since Adriano Panatta 50 years ago. With Carlos Alcaraz out of action, Sinner is expected to go one better than last year when he lost the final to his great rival. Former winner Daniil Medvedev will begin his campaign in the third round after his opponent Tomas Machac withdrew due to illness. Fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime suffered a shock second-round defeat to Argentina's Mariano Navone, losing 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/5).
