Emma Raducanu's wait for a first tennis title since her historic 2021 US Open victory continues after a heavy straight-sets defeat to an inspired Sorana Cirstea in the Transylvania Open final. The British number one appeared to be feeling the after-effects of her gruelling semi-final marathon just 24 hours earlier, as she succumbed to a comprehensive 6-0, 6-2 loss in Cluj.
Raducanu Struggles Against Cirstea's Power
Top seed Raducanu, whose father is Romanian, was pushed to the absolute limit in her last-four clash against Ukraine's Oleksandra Oliynykova on Friday. That epic three-hour battle seemed to take a significant physical toll, leaving her with little answer to Cirstea's aggressive baseline hitting and powerful groundstrokes during the championship match.
A One-Sided Opening Set
The British star came under immediate pressure on her serve, eventually losing her opening service game despite saving five break points. She went on to lose the first set without winning a single game, with the opener wrapped up in just thirty minutes of play. Raducanu's movement and timing appeared noticeably off, as Cirstea dominated the rallies from the baseline.
Brief Resurgence Before Final Collapse
After losing a fourth consecutive service game to fall 2-0 down in the second set, Raducanu showed brief signs of life by breaking Cirstea to love to claim her first game of the match. However, she then required a medical timeout, highlighting her physical struggles. Upon resumption, she held serve for the first time to level the set at 2-2, but could not maintain that momentum.
Cirstea, a 35-year-old Romanian playing in her final year on tour, regrouped impressively to win the next three games and establish a commanding 5-2 lead. Serving to stay in the match, Raducanu appeared completely drained, losing her serve for a sixth and final time as Cirstea sealed the victory and the title in little over an hour.
Historic Victory for Veteran Cirstea
This triumph marks the fourth WTA Tour title of Sorana Cirstea's distinguished twenty-year professional career. Competing in her home nation before an enthusiastic crowd, the veteran displayed masterful court craft and relentless power to secure one of the most significant victories of her latter years on the circuit.
Bejlek Claims Maiden Title in Abu Dhabi
In other WTA Tour news, Czech qualifier Sara Bejlek secured a surprise first career title at the Abu Dhabi Open. The 20-year-old defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-6 (5), 6-1 in the final, a result that will propel her from 101st in the world rankings into the top fifty following the best week of her young professional career.
