Sorana Cirstea has appealed for the return of her Tennis in the Land trophy, which she claims was stolen from her hotel room in Manhattan.
“Whoever stole my Cleveland trophy from room 314 at The Fifty Sonesta please give it back,” the Romanian wrote in a post on Instagram.
“It has no material value, just sentimental value! It would be greatly appreciated! Thank you.”
Cirstea won her third WTA title just days before her first-round appearance at the US Open, meaning that she had to bring the trophy with her to New York, keeping it in the hotel room she was staying in for the duration of the tournament.
The world No 57 clinched her first WTA Title since 2021 with victory over Anne Li in Cleveland, coming through two rounds of qualifying and five main-draw matches without dropping a set in Ohio.
“It has been a wonderful week,” Cirstea said of her victory at the time.
“From the first match of qualies, I felt the energy, I felt welcome, and I really loved the city and the vibe. You could see on the court how relaxed and how much I was enjoying (myself). I really wanted to stay as long as possible here, so I’m very happy that I managed to do that.”
It was Cirstea’s first trophy in four years – when she triumphed on the clay courts of Istanbul – and her first hard-court title since her maiden triumph at the Tashkent Open 17 years ago.
The Romanian reached the second round of the US Open this year, defeating Solana Sierra in straight sets before falling to Karolina Muchova in three sets.
She also lost her first-round doubles match alongside partner Anna Kalinskaya as the pair were knocked out 7-5, 6-4 by American duo McCartney Kessler and Peyton Stearns.
