Aryna Sabalenka Yells ‘What Are You Showing Me?’ at Her Team During Shock Italian Open Exit

Aryna Sabalenka suffered an early-round exit for the first time in 15 months. After knocking out Barbora Krejcikova in the opening round of the Italian Open, Sabalenka fell in the third round, losing with a 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 scoreline to Sorana Cirstea.

Sabalenka also took a medical timeout for her lower back and hip at a crucial moment during the third set. In the first game of the third set, Sabalenka also yelled, ‘What are you showing me?” at her coaching team.

Watch the video here:

Sabalenka to her box: "What are you showing me??"😭 pic.twitter.com/CbRNdPAiUr

— til polarity's end 🎾⚡#SpallettiEra⚡⚫⚪ (@lildarkcage) May 9, 2026

Sabalenka lost in the round of 32 of a tournament for the first time since the 2025 Qatar Open. Also, before arriving in the Italian capital, the four-time Grand Slam singles champion failed to defend her title at the Madrid Open, losing to Hailey Baptiste in the quarterfinals.

Her latest defeat has sparked injury concerns. The Italian Open is the last big tournament before the ultimate clay-court event, the French Open, where last year, the Belarusian lost in three sets to Coco Gauff.

Yeah, I feel like I didn’t play well from the beginning till the end. I started really well, but then I kind of dropped the level. Felt like my body was limiting me from performing on the highest level. She stepped in and played incredible tennis. Didn’t really give me much opportunities. Yeah, that was a tough one. But I guess we never lose; we only learn, so it’s okay.

Aryna Sabalenka said at the press conference

Sabalenka has already played four finals and won three titles. After defending her title at the Brisbane International against Marta Kostyuk, Sabalenka lost to Elena Rybakina in the Australian Open final and went on to skip the two WTA 1000s in the Middle East Swing.

Upon her comeback, she clinched the Indian Wells by taking her revenge on the Kazakh ace and later completed the Sunshine Double by beating Gauff in the Miami final.

I’d say that probably it’s like my lower back, connected to the hip, which kind of like limiting me from the full rotation. I guess we’re just going to have some days off. We’re going to spend it on recovery. That’s the plan I believe, for now.

Aryna Sabalenka added

The French Open kicks off on May 24th. While Gauff will be bidding to defend her title, the men’s defending champion, Carlos Alcaraz, will be skipping the event due to a wrist injury.

Sorana Cirstea on her win over Aryna Sabalenka

Sorana Cirstea registered her second win over Aryna Sabalenka in their fourth meeting. At the press conference after her win, the Romanian ace was asked if it was the best win of her career.

It’s very hard to say this is the best win because I’ve had wonderful wins in my career. I’ve always been a player that on a good day, I could beat anyone. I don’t like to make a ranking and say which match was the best. Absolutely, it’s a match that I’m happy with. What I’m the happiest about is the way I played. I think second set and third set, I played quite high level. I was really, like, following the plan.

Cirstea scheduled her next round match against Linda Noskova, who knocked out Oleksandra Oliynykova in the previous round. Noskova holds a 2-2 head-to-head record over Cirstea.

Cirstea has already met the Czech ace twice this year, with both matches won by the Czech ace. Noskova beat her in the third round of Indian Wells, while Cirstea beat her in the second round of the Miami Open.

Cirstea will retire after this season. She has already won a title this year. In the Transylvania Open final, Cirstea breezed past Emma Raducanu to win her career’s fourth singles title.

Also read: Jessica Pegula Shares her Stance on Potential Grand Slam Boycott Over Prize Money Dispute