Four years later, Cirstea reconnects with the joy of a WTA tour title in Cleveland

Sorana Cirstea is reliving her best days in Cleveland. Now ranked 112th in the world, the Romanian player, who returned at the start of the season after several months of absence at the end of 2024, had the perfect week at the WTA 250 tournament in Cleveland.

Coming through the qualifiers with wins over Anna Frey (6-1, 6-0) and Rebeka Masarova (6-2, 6-2), the former world No. 21 then confirmed her form in the main draw.

After victories against Moyuka Uchijima (6-4, 6-1), Jil Teichmann (6-1, 6-1), Liudmila Samsonova (6-4, 6-1), and Anastasia Zakharova (6-1, 7-5), the 35-year-old Cirstea faced Ann Li this time in a showdown between players who hadn’t won a title on the main tour since 2021.

In this match, Cirstea displayed her superiority and proved she was indeed the best player of the week in Cleveland. Flawless from start to finish, the Romanian saved all four break points she faced and won in straight sets (6-2, 6-4 in 1 hour and 24 minutes). She claims the third title of her career after Tashkent 2008 and Istanbul 2021.

The player who did not drop a single set throughout the entire tournament will now return to the top 100 (88th) and face Solana Sierra in the first round of the US Open in the coming hours. On the other hand, Li loses a third final out of the four she has contested.

"It was a magnificent week. From the first qualifying match, I felt the energy of the crowd. I felt supported, and I loved playing in this city. You could see how I played without any pressure and how much I enjoyed myself on the court.

I really wanted to stay here as long as possible, and I’m happy I made it all the way. It was a special week. I came to Cleveland with no expectations of myself," Cirstea assured after the match in comments to WTA media.