Rybakina ‘very happy and super proud’ after winning Australian Open
Video credit: TNT Sports
Emma Raducanu insists she is “moving in the right direction” despite being beaten 6-0 6-2 by Sorana Cirstea in the Transylvania Open final.The 23-year-old was chasing her first trophy since a stunning victory at the 2021 US Open, but never really looked like stopping a dominant Cirstea, who wrapped up the match in little over an hour.
It was a day to remember for the 35-year-old, who powered her way to a comprehensive win on home soil in Cluj.
Cirstea previously announced this would be her final year in professional tennis, and will retire having become only the third Romanian woman to win a WTA Tour title on home soil in the Open Era after Irina-Camelia Begu and Simona Halep, as confirmed by the WTA.
As for Raducanu, she was seeking a morale-boosting victory at the end of what had been a promising week.
This was also a landmark day overall for British tennis, with this being the first time that two women from these shores had reached different WTA finals in the same week, with Katie Boulter taking on Germany’s Tamara Korpatsch in Ostrava.
“Sad that today couldn’t go a bit better, but I think Sorana played incredibly from the start to the end and my energy was pretty low after my battle yesterday, so, I’m really happy with the steps I made this week, and I think it’s moving in the right direction,” Raducanu told Sky Sports.
“I’ve just been a bit ill this week and then yesterday’s match was so long, and it just took it out of me.
“Today I just felt like I didn’t really have much energy, and it was really difficult, but, again, Sorana played so well, I had no chance if I wasn’t 100% and even if I was 100%, she was still playing incredible tennis, so all credit to her, she deserves this one.”
Raducanu sealed her place in the final following a three-set win over Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova, and appeared to be feeling the rigours of that contest after being on the receiving end of a bagel in the first set.
Cirstea drew first blood after a mere 30 minutes, with Raducanu failing to hold her serve in a sobering opening set.
There was little sign of a turnaround when the Romanian moved a set and a break up at 2-0, with Cirstea able to provide all the answers to Raducanu’s under-par service game.
The Briton did finally manage to break back, but was visibly struggling with breathing difficulties and became involved in a lengthy conversation with medical staff.
Raducanu showed her fighting spirit to bring the score back to 2-2. However, the writing appeared to be on the wall when she went 0-40 down in the sixth game of the second set.
Despite managing to save the first break point, a netted backhand gave Cirstea a double break, moving her within two games of victory.
The Romanian would go on to break Raducanu once more in a dominant win, denying the British No. 1 what would have been her second WTA title.
 Watch and stream live tennis – including the 2026 French Open – on TNT Sports and discovery+