This Week in Tennis: Sabalenka, Djokovic Upset…

Welcome to This Week in Tennis, where we catch up on all the latest and biggest stories from the ATP and WTA Tours.

Sabalenka Upset By Cirstea

Aryna Sabalenka fell short in Rome once again as she dropped her third-round match to Sorana Cirstea in a stunning 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 decision on Saturday.

The Italian Open trophy remains elusive for the world No. 1, as it is one of the few WTA 1000 events (Rome, Dubai, Canada, China) that Sabalenka has not won. The defeat was just the third of the season for Sabalenka and her second-straight early exit from a big tournament after she was upset by Hailey Baptiste in the quarter-finals in Madrid last week.

The 36-year-old Cirstea, who plans to retire after the season, earned her first-career win over a world No. 1.

“I’m very, very happy,” a beaming 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 a payoff.”

The top women’s player in the world appeared to be dealing with a back injury late in the match, as she called for a medical timeout while down 4-3 in the third set.

“Felt like my body was limiting me from performing on the highest level,” Sabalenka said after the match. "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 okay.”

The 27th-ranked Cirstea will now face No. 13 Linda Noskova in the round of 16.

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Djokovic Ousted Early in Rome

Novak Djokovic was unsuccessful in his return to the court, falling to qualifier Dino Prizmic 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 in his opening match in Rome.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion had not played since Indian Wells in March due to a right shoulder injury and said after the match that he was hoping for a longer tuneup ahead of Roland-Garros.

“I'm not definitely where I want to be for the highest level and to compete at the highest level and to be able to get far,” Djokovic said.

“Eventually you have to play. You have to start somewhere. I wanted to start earlier but I couldn't. The situation is as it is. You make the most out of it. I train hard. I train as much as the body allows me to. Then how it turns out on the court, that's really unpredictable.”

The 79th-ranked Prizmic earned the second Top 10 win of his career, having beaten Ben Shelton in the third round in Madrid earlier this season.

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Feature Photo : Rob Prange/Jimmie48 Photography/WTA