Aryna Sabalenka left little doubt about the outcome of her second-round match against Barbora Krejcikova at the 2026 Rome Masters. She played intelligently and powerfully, and the Czech had little answer, even though she had previously proven she could play elite tennis by winning two Grand Slams.
Part of the issue might have been that Krejcikova was still trying to work her way back into form after missing chunks of time over the last year with various injuries, including a back problem. To be fair to the Belarusian, though, none of Krejcikova's issues had a bearing on what Sabalenka was doing.
The first set finished 6-2, and the only tension at times was how many points Sabalenka would lose. At one point, Krejcikova argued a point so much that she even had a discussion with her opponent after speaking with the chair umpire. That's rare, but the Czech was desperate.
Aryna Sabalenka overpowers Barbora Krejcikova at the 2026 Rome Masters
While no athlete ever wants to believe they have little chance of a comeback in a game or match, Krejcikova had to have little belief she could even the match. Sabalenka was hitting to the corners too well, and making the ridiculous, and somewhat stunning because of the WTA No. 1's immense power, drop shot.
The second set was hardly less stressful for Krejcikova. She was broken early and fell behind 1-3. The only question remaining was how many games she would win the rest of the way, not whether she had any chance to win.
She did hold at 2-5, but that only gave her one more game win in set two than in set one, and there was little doubt that Aryna Sabalenka would hold to win the match 6-2, 6-3. An excellent start to a tournament that Sabalenka has never won and only reached the final once before (2024).
Aryna Sabalenka will next play Sorana Cirstea in the third round of the Rome Masters. Cirstea is playing the final year of her tennis career. The assumption is that Sabalenka has many more years to play at a high level and win many more important tournaments.
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