March 29, (THEWILL) – In a stunning upset at the Miami Open, world number two, Aryna Sabalenka, crashed out of the tournament in the quarter-finals, losing in straight sets to unseeded Romanian Sorana Cirstea 6-4 6-4.
Sabalenka, playing in only her second Miami quarter-final, was plagued by three double faults at crucial moments in the first and second sets, while Cirstea produced a highly composed display to secure her place in the last four.
Cirstea, who had never beaten a top-three player in her career until Wednesday, got off to the perfect start in the pair’s first-ever meeting on the WTA tour, breaking Sabalenka’s serve in the very first game. Despite the Belarusian breaking back to make it 4-4 in the first set, Cirstea remained level-headed and secured the break to take the opening set in 37 minutes.
In the second set, Cirstea immediately went a break up, and although Sabalenka managed to break back, it was Cirstea, who held her nerve to secure the win. Cirstea will now face either number 18 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova or Petra Kvitova, in the semi-finals.
Sabalenka, meanwhile, will be left to reflect on what might have been, as her Miami Open campaign comes to an abrupt end.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
