Aryna Sabalenka defeated Alison Riske 6-3 1-6 6-3 in the Rome qualifying round of 32 on clay. The upset overturned the form book — Alison Riske came in defending last year's round of 64.
Sabalenka A. came through in three sets.
Sabalenka A. and Riske A. faced 3 of the same opponents in the last 12 months. Sabalenka A. went 1–2 (33%) against them, Riske A. 1–3 (25%). Results against comparable opponents are close (0 : 0 better-results split).
Only 3 common opponents — small sample, treat as indicative.