Gracheva toppled by Stearns in the first round of the Cluj-Napoca tournament

Varvara Gracheva, the only Frenchwoman entered in the draw for the WTA 250 tournament in Cluj-Napoca, didn't inherit the most accessible draw.

Facing Peyton Stearns, seeded number 3 and 46th in the world, the 24-year-old got off to the best possible start, but eventually lost (2-6, 6-2, 6-2).

Gracheva's difficult period continues. Since the beginning of October, the 70th-ranked player in the world has won just three matches on the main circuit (against Hontama in Tokyo, Prozorova in Hong Kong and McNally at the Australian Open).

As for Stearns, she will be up against Lucia Bronzetti, who defeated Simona Halep in the last match of the Romanian player's career (6-1, 6-1), for a place in the quarter-finals of this 2025 edition of the Transylvanian Open.