‘s stunning clay-court form deserted her at the Foro Italico as she fell in straight sets to Olympic gold medallist Zheng Qinwen, late on Wednesday.
After surviving early pressure on her own serve, Qinwen broke Sabalenka to take a 3-2 lead in the first set before serving out.
The Chinese then pounced in Sabalenka’s first service game in the second frame to go up a break. Sabalenka showed determination to make gritty holds in the fifth and seventh games of the set, but she could not make inroads on Qinwen’s service as the 22-year-old powered into the semis.
Qinwen will meet Coco Gauff in the last-four of the . Meanwhile, local favourite Jasmine Paolini waltzed into the final, much to the delight of the home crowd, by beating USA’s Peyton Stearns 7-5, 6-1.
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