Cleveland, Ohio In front of an almost full house, Romanian qualifier Sorana Cirstea finished her stellar week by defeating American Ann Li 6-2, 6-4 to win the fifth annual WTA Tennis in the Land singles final on Saturday afternoon at Jacobs Pavilion.
It is Cirstea’s third WTA singles championship in her career and her first since Istanbul in 2021.
For me, this week has been unique. Cirstea stated, “I came here with no expectations other than to play good tennis.” I must acknowledge my coach, Adrian. We recently got back together after working together in the past, and we immediately won a title. I am really appreciative.
Cirstea’s aggressive play and excellent service games were the key factors in the second meeting between the two, as she quickly established a one-set lead by converting two break point opportunities.
With her sustained accuracy in her shot-making, Cirstea, who started the tournament ranked 112th in the world, broke Li’s serve to start the second set and take a 5-3 lead.
Cirstea rallied to win the match when Li, ranked 69th, regained some late rhythm and had a chance at 5-4 with a double-break point opportunity.
Ann put in a tremendous effort and played excellent tennis. Cirstea continued, “She had a great week and has great potential.” It was an amazing event, and I’m simply thankful that I get to live my dream and do what I love every day.
The victory was the pinnacle of Cirstea’s successful week. The Romanian defeated top seed and No. 22 champion Liudmila Samsonova (No. 19) in the quarterfinals with a resounding upset victory (6-4, 6-1) and won all of her matches in straight sets en route to the final, where she needed to win two matches to get to the main event. It was her fourth victory in the Top 20 this year.
Now, both athletes will focus on the U.S. Open, the year’s last Grand Slam, which gets underway in New York on Sunday. Li plays Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova (No. 38), while Cirstea opens with Argentina’s Solana Sierra (No. 75).
Doubles
No. 2 seed Chan Hao-ching (Taiwan) and Jiang Xinyu (China) lost to No. 1 seed Anna Danilina (Kazakhstan) and Aleksandra Krunic (Serbia) in straight sets, 7-6 (3), 6-4, in the championship match.
Danilina and Krunic secured the title with a pivotal break of serve at 5-4 after winning the first set in a tiebreak.
The victory was Krunic’s eighth career WTA doubles title and their first together, while Danilina’s was her eleventh.
