Retiring cirstea

Italian Open: Sorana Cirstea produced one of the biggest upsets of the season after battling back from a set and a break down to defeat world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 and advance to the Round of 16 at the Italian Open 2026 in Rome on Saturday.

The victory marked the first win of Cirstea’s career over a reigning world No. 1 and extended a remarkable late-career run for the Romanian veteran, who had announced earlier this year that the 2026 season would be the final campaign of her two-decade professional career.

Playing at the Foro Italico, Sabalenka looked firmly in control during the opening stages and appeared set for another routine victory after racing through the first set and moving 2-0 ahead in the second. The Belarusian had not dropped a set against Cirstea in any of their previous meetings, including a straight-sets victory in Brisbane earlier this year.