By Afiur
May 11, 2026
Sabalenka appeared to be cruising to victory while leading by a set and 2-0 but the 26th-ranked Cirstea stormed back to triumph 2-6 6-3 7-5
Defending champion Jasmine Paolini was eliminated after the Italian wasted three match points in a 4-6 7-6 (5) 6-3 loss to Elise Mertens.
Third seed Coco Gauff survived a significant scare before eventually beating Argentinean Solana Sierra 5-7 6-0 6-4.
Jannik Sinner made a successful start to his bid to win all nine Masters 1000 events by beating Austria`s Sebastian Ofner 6-3 6-4.
A Career Golden Masters would put him alongside Novak Djokovic as the only players to achieve the feat since the series began in 1990.