Jeanjean, Top Seed, Denied Final in Bucharest

Léolia Jeanjean's run in Bucharest came to an end in the semifinals. The top seed in Romania, the Frenchwoman (ranked 96th in the world) had defeated Mia Ristic (6-0, 7-5), Maria Timofeeva (6-7, 6-2, 6-4), and her compatriot Alice Rame (6-3, 6-2), hoping to secure a spot in the final.

Facing Tamara Zidansek, who has fallen outside the top 200, the 29-year-old knew the match wouldn’t be easy. After being knocked out in the first round of Wimbledon qualifying by Veronika Erjavec, Jeanjean had hoped to regain confidence on clay.

However, she ultimately couldn’t overcome the Slovenian, a former 2021 Roland-Garros semifinalist. Trailing 5-3 in the first set, the Frenchwoman fought back to 5-5 before being broken and losing the set shortly after.

The second set followed a different script, with Jeanjean holding a break advantage to lead 5-3. This time, Zidansek clawed her way back, even winning the last four games to seal the victory (7-5, 7-5 in 2 hours and 12 minutes).

The 27-year-old Slovenian, who once peaked at world No. 22, advances to the final, where she will face Nuria Brancaccio, who defeated Andrea Lazaro Garcia (6-4, 7-6) in the other semifinal.