Cirstea Two Wins Away from Historic Home Title as She Regains Romanian No. 1 Ranking
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Will Sorana Cirstea break the Romanian curse at the WTA 250 tournament in Cluj-Napoca? In six years of existence, no player representing Romania has won the Transylvania Open.
Yet, Halep (2021), Ruse (2023), and Bogdan (2024) have all reached the final but stumbled at the last hurdle. The 35-year-old player, who is playing her final season on tour, is now just two matches away from a home triumph in her last appearance.
After her quarterfinal victory over defending champion Anastasia Potapova (7-5, 6-4), Cirstea, who is having a strong start to the year, spoke at a press conference.
“I never look at my points or ranking”
Journalists informed her that she will become the Romanian No. 1 in the WTA rankings again next week, ahead of Jaqueline Cristian, who was heavily defeated by Daria Snigur in the round of 16. But the player herself does not prioritize this.
“I didn’t know that. I never look at my points or ranking; it’s a principle I’ve applied throughout my career. I’m simply happy to see that I still have the level needed to be here.
I’m not sure it changes much whether I’m the top Romanian player in the rankings or not. From my perspective, Jaqueline (Cristian) and Gabi (Ruse) are playing very well, and I’m sure they’ll have a great year ahead.
“My ranking is the reward for all the work I put in”
I’m happy to know there are other girls not far behind even after my retirement. We also have Anca Todoni, who I think will be a very good top 100 player in the coming years.
I’m happy to leave behind girls who can achieve results. The only joy I can feel is knowing that my ranking is the reward for all the work I put in every day.
I know my level, I know why I play. It’s pretty good, but it doesn’t necessarily mean much. Even though it’s still nice to be able to be a top 35 player in the world at my age,” Cirstea told the Transylvania Open media.