At 35, Sorana Cirstea Savors Emotional Comeback Win Over Lys in Last Australian Open, Eyes Naomi Osaka Clash
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Sorana Cirstea is making the most of her last months on the circuit. The 35-year-old Romanian, who will retire at the end of the 2026 season, has in any case gotten off to a perfect start at the Australian Open.
World No. 41 came from behind to defeat Eva Lys (3-6, 6-4, 6-3) and will face Naomi Osaka on Thursday evening for a spot in the third round. After her win over the German, the former WTA No. 21 shared her thoughts.
« It was a tough first round against a tricky opponent »
« From a tennis perspective, it wasn’t a great match from my side. I started off quite defensively, I was very nervous… This is the last time I’m playing the Australian Open, so it’s normal that I’m a bit more tense, and I think it showed in the first set.
Then, I managed to breathe, stabilize my game a little, and get into the match in the second set, and I’m thrilled with this victory because it was a tough opener against a hard-to-play opponent in tricky conditions.
« I tried to stay positive no matter the score »
And, once again, without playing exceptionally. But I’m very proud of how I fought and the attitude I showed. I tried not to think too much about the score and just focus on each point.
Since I was pretty nervous, I tried to move my legs more to shake off the jitters. I tried to stay positive regardless of the score.
My serve helped me in the tough moments and I’m delighted about that, because those are the moments I work for every day, year after year, in practice, and I’m happy to kick off this tournament with a win », Cirstea said to Golazo.
Dernière modification le 21/01/2026 à 09h21