Sorana Cîrstea Advances to WTA Seoul Round of 16, Faces Iga Swiatek
Sorana Cîrstea, the 35-year-old Romanian tennis player ranked #66 in the WTA, has secured a decisive victory to advance to the round of 16 at the WTA 500 tournament in Seoul, South Korea. Her next challenge is a high-stakes match against Iga Swiatek.
Cîrstea's Dominant Victory Over Zakharova
Cîrstea defeated Russia's Anastasia Zakharova (23 years old, #79 WTA) with a score of 6-3, 6-1. The match, initially delayed due to weather, saw Cîrstea take control after the resumption of play.
The match began at 8:00 AM Romanian time. After being interrupted at 2-2 in the first set for almost three hours due to unfavorable weather conditions, Cîrstea regained momentum after the restart, breaking Zakharova's serve at 4-3 and securing the first set. The second set was dominated by the Romanian player, who broke Zakharova's serve three times and allowed her opponent only one game.
The match concluded after one hour and 13 minutes with a double fault from Zakharova. This marks Cîrstea’s second victory against Zakharova in recent weeks, following her win in the semifinals of the Cleveland tournament, which she eventually won.
Prize and Upcoming Match Against Swiatek
By advancing to the round of 16, Sorana Cîrstea has secured a prize of $15,700 and 60 WTA points.
For a place in the quarterfinals, the player from Târgoviște will face Iga Swiatek (24 years old, #2 WTA), the top seed in the tournament. Swiatek has won all five of their previous encounters, most recently at Cincinnati with a score of 6-4, 6-3.
Jaqueline Cristian vs. Emma Răducanu Match Postponed
The match between Jaqueline Cristian (27 years old, 41 WTA) and Emma Răducanu (22 years old, 33 WTA) in the opening round of the Korea Open has been postponed to Wednesday, September 17th, due to adverse weather conditions in Seoul. The decision was made after the initial delay proved insufficient as rain returned.
Both players reached the 3rd round at the US Open. Cristian defeated Danielle Collins (31 years old, 67 WTA) and Ashlyn Krueger (21 years old, 45 WTA) before losing to Amanda Anisimova (24 years old, 4 WTA). Răducanu defeated Ena Shibahara (27 years old, 164 WTA) and Janice Tjen (23 years old, 103 WTA) but lost to Elena Rybakina (26 years old, 10 WTA).
Jaqueline Cristian and Emma Răducanu have never met before in the WTA circuit. The winner of their match will face either Barbora Krejcikova (29 years old, 39 WTA) or Tatiana Prozorova (21 years old, 194 WTA) in the round of 16.
Cristian's Doubles Success
Cristian is also competing in doubles with Su-Wei Hsieh (39 years old), a player with 7 Grand Slam titles. In the first round, they defeated the top seeds, Ellen Perez (29 years old, Australia) and Fanny Stollar (26 years old, Hungary).
Weather Disrupts Korea Open Schedule
The Korea Open 2025, a WTA 500 tournament, has been significantly affected by heavy rain, leading to the cancellation of the entire schedule for September 16th. The matches involving Jaqueline Cristian, Emma Răducanu and Sorana Cîrstea will be rescheduled for September 17th.