Sorana Cirstea clinches first WTA Title since 2021 with victory over Anne Li in Cleveland
Sorana Cirstea came through two rounds of qualifying and five main-draw matches to put together an excellent run to the title at the Tennis in the Land tournament in Cleveland, Ohio.
Currently ranked 112th in the world, the resurgent Romanian had a near flawless week as she claimed her third WTA title without dropping a set across any of her seven matches in Cleveland.
It is Cirstea’s first trophy since 2021 – when she triumphed in the clay courts of Istanbul – and, remarkably, her first hard-court title in 17 years.
The Romanian defeated Sabine Lisicki way back in 2008 at the Tashkent Open to claim her maiden WTA title, before adding a second to her hard-court tally this week in the US.
Cirstea came through in straight sets against home hope Anne Li in the final, defeating the American 6-2, 6-4 in another thoroughly impressive display.
“It has been a wonderful week,” Cirstea said following victory.
“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’s been a special week for me. I really just came here to play some matches with absolutely zero expectations.”
Cirstea will next face Argentina’s Solana Sierra in the first round of the US Open on Monday, in what will be a tight turnaround for the Cleveland champion.
Li, meanwhile, will open her campaign in New York against big-hitting Slovakian Rebecca Sramkova, also on Monday.
