Romanian tennis player is preparing to retire at end of season,and still she is fighting like someone who has plenty left in tank .
On Sunday,Cirstea defeated Xiyu Wang of China 6-3,7-6(4) and entered quarter-finals of French Open . Match happened at Court Suzanne-Lenglen,and for her,this was not small thing ah,because she had last reached this stage at Roland Garros back in 2009.
Cirstea came into match as 18th seed and from start only,she looked more settled . Wang had been having strong tournament without dropping set,but Cirstea broke her serve twice in first set and quickly built control.
And first set showed difference in experience very clearly . Wang tried to push back,but early damage was already done and Cirstea closed it 6-3 without letting match slip away.
Few things standing out clearly in this match:
- Sorana Cirstea defeated Xiyu Wang of China 6-3,7-6(4).
- Cirstea reached latter stages of Roland Garros for first time since 2009.
- She will face either Mirra Andreeva or Jil Teichmann in quarter-finals.
But second set became proper tense . Wang suddenly found rhythm and came back from 5-2 down to make it 5-5,and at that point it really looked like match could go into deciding set.
And tbh,this is where Cirstea’s experience mattered most . She did not panic too much,somehow steadied herself and dragged set into tiebreak . In tiebreak,she stayed calmer and won it 7-4 .
This win also adds more weight to what is already becoming memorable final season for her . She has broken into world’s top 20 and also got her first career victory over reigning world No. 1 recently,so this farewell campaign is not just symbolic,it is serious.
Now next challenge is either Mirra Andreeva or Jil Teichmann,and that will tell a lot about how far this run can actually go . Maybe she has one more big Roland Garros chapter left…
