Aryna Sabalenka's Italian Open campaign ends in stunning upset in Rome

Aryna Sabalenka's Italian Open campaign came to a shocking end on Saturday, as the world number one suffered a 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 defeat at the hands of Sorana Cirstea in the third round. This loss marked the second major upset of the tournament, following Novak Djokovic's early exit.

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Sabalenka's frustration was evident throughout the match, as she struggled to find her rhythm and muttered to herself in disappointment, her shoulders slumped in a rare display of uncharacteristic sloppiness. The 28-year-old had not been knocked out of a tournament in the round of 32 since the Qatar Open in February last year.

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Despite a strong start, taking the first set 6-2, Sabalenka's bid for a first tournament victory in the Italian capital ultimately fell short, with Cirstea advancing to face Linda Noskova in the next round after securing her first win over a world number one. Sabalenka also required a medical timeout due to a problem with her left hip, raising concerns about her fitness ahead of Roland Garros later this month.

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Coco Gauff remains in contention for the Italian Open title after a hard-fought 5-7, 6-0, 6-4 victory over Argentina's Solana Sierra, which took over two hours to complete. Gauff has struggled on clay this season, with her previous outings including a last-16 exit in the Madrid Open and a quarter-final finish in Stuttgart.

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Jasmine Paolini's title defence came to an abrupt end, as the home favourite was knocked out by Elise Mertens in a closely contested match, ultimately losing 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3. The 30-year-old's failure to reach the fourth round for the fourth consecutive tournament will likely result in her dropping out of the top 10 in the women's world rankings.

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Paolini's defeat was largely due to her inability to capitalize on three match points against Mertens' serve at 6-5 in the second set, after which she lost the tie-break and failed to recover. In the aftermath, Paolini reflected on the match, stating "I didn't make the most of my chances, I needed to keep a clearer head, keep my cool better in those moments."

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Meanwhile, Jannik Sinner is poised to continue his record-breaking Masters 1000 winning streak, with a centre court match against Austria's Sebastian Ofner scheduled for later on Saturday. Sinner is the hot favourite to win and extend his run of 23 consecutive match victories.

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No Italian man has won the Italian Open since Adriano Panatta 50 years ago, but with Carlos Alcaraz out of the tournament, Sinner is expected to go one better than last year's final loss to his rival. Former winner Daniil Medvedev will begin his campaign in the third round, following the withdrawal of his scheduled opponent Tomas Machac due to illness.

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Felix Auger-Aliassime suffered a surprise second-round defeat at the hands of Argentina's Mariano Navone, losing in straight sets 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/5) to the 44th-ranked opponent. This upset marked a significant blow to the Canadian's chances in the tournament.