'Someone please pinch me': Cirstea overwhelms Raducanu to win Cluj-Napoca
They were already chanting her name during Saturday’s warmups, and buoyed by that support, Sorana Cirstea soared swiftly and emphatically to victory.
The No. 3-seeded Romanian was a 6-0, 6-2 winner over No. 1 Emma Raducanu on her way to the title at the Transylvania Open in Cluj-Napoc, Romania. It required only 63 minutes.
It was a spectacular going-away present for the 35-year-old who has announced that 2026 will be her last season in professional tennis.
“Someone please pinch me, because this is a dream come true,” Cirstea said afterward. “I still can’t believe that I’m holding the trophy as champion here in Cluj. I am so, so happy, I cannot describe it in words. I am so grateful for everything I lived this week.
“I thought I played a very, very good match against a tough opponent. The score isn’t fair [considering] the level of the match. I’m very, very happy with the trophy and I’m going to enjoy this year as much as I can.”
Cirstea becomes only the third Romanian woman to win a WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz title on home soil in the Open Era, joining Irina-Camelia Begu (Iasi 2025, Bucharest 2017) and Simona Halep (Bucharest 2014, 2016).
It was Halep who handed her the winning trophy.
Raducanu was playing in her first tour-level final since winning the 2021 US Open, where she was the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam title in the Open Era.
“Sorry, today I didn’t bring my best,” Raducanu said afterward. “Honestly, it’s been a while since I gave one of these speeches.
“Congratulations to Sorana, you’ve had a great week.”
It was the fourth career title for Cirstea, who won in Cleveland last summer as a qualifier. That helped Cirstea complete her 10th straight season among the Top 100.
Previously, Cirstea was winless in two previous appearances in Cluj-Napoc, but this year she won all eight of the sets she played.
Cirstea won the first set in 29 minutes, breaking Raducanu in all three of her service games and winning 30 of 45 points. Raducanu was plagued by unforced errors (19) and double faults (three) and hit only a single winner.
After going down 2-0, Raducanu broke Cirstea back to collect her first game. After a medical timeout (a doctor took her blood pressure), Raducanu held to level it at 2-all.
After holding, Cirstea broke Raducanu to take an insurmountable 4-2 lead. It ended on another double fault by Raducanu, her sixth of the match.
Cirstea was scheduled to play the Qatar TotalEnergies Open, which begins play Sunday, but said her next tournament will likely be the WTA 1000 in Dubai.
“This is special for me,” she concluded. “It’s my last year after 20 years of being a professional athlete. I’m going to retire a happy athlete because of this trophy.”