Sorana Cirstea has announced she will retire at the end of the season, but the 36-year-old Romanian is far from coasting through her final tournaments.
Cirstea claimed her first victory over a world No. 1 since turning professional in 2006, rallying past top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 on Saturday in the third round of the Italian Open in Rome.
“I’m very, very happy,” Cirstea said. “Aryna is an amazing player. I thought I played really well today. I’m working really, really hard. It’s nice to have this result as payoff.”
Cirstea’s previous highest-ranked win also came against Sabalenka, when the Belarusian was No. 2 in 2023 — an upset in the Miami Open quarterfinals.
The veteran won her fourth career title earlier this year at a tournament in Romania and shows no signs of slowing down, improving her 2026 record to 25-7.
Yet her stellar form has not made her reconsider retirement.
“Maybe if I win the tournament, I promise I’ll think about it,” Cirstea said with a smile.
Sabalenka dominated the opening set before the match turned. She struggled with lower back pain and took a medical timeout while trailing 4-3 in the final set.
“Felt like my body was limiting me from performing on the highest level,” Sabalenka said. “She stepped in and played incredible tennis. Didn’t really give me much opportunities. … But I guess we never lose, we only learn, so it’s OK. Probably it’s my lower back, connected to the hip, which is limiting me from the full rotation.”
While Sabalenka focuses on recovery, Cirstea advances to face No. 13 seed Linda Noskova of Czechia, who swept past Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova 6-1, 6-3 on Saturday.
In another upset, No. 21 Elise Mertens of Belgium defeated No. 9 Jasmine Paolini of Italy 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3. Mertens hit three aces and converted five of eight break points.
No. 3 Coco Gauff overcame a sluggish start to beat Argentina’s Solana Sierra 5-7, 6-0, 6-4. No. 8 Mirra Andreeva of Russia outlasted Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic 6-1, 4-6, 6-0.
Additionally, Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia rallied past China’s Zheng Qinwen 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
