List of players entered in the qualifying rounds
Karolína Plíšková, the winner of the Cluj trophy in 2024, has received a wild card and will play on the main draw of the Transylvania Open WTA 250, 2026 edition. The organizers of the women’s tennis tournament in Cluj also announced the awarding of two wild cards to two experienced Romanian players, much loved by the public: Ana Bogdan and Miriam Bulgaru. The fourth wild card goes to a young Romanian player with potential: Elena Ruxandra Bertea.
Plíšková thus becomes the second trophy winner present on the main draw, alongside Anastasia Potapova, the 2025 champion. Transylvania Open decided to reserve a wild card for the Czech player, who expressed her desire to return to Cluj-Napoca, the place where she won her first important trophy after returning to the WTA circuit.
At present, Plíšková is in the recovery process following a minor injury. Her participation will depend on the evolution of her physical condition up to the start of the tournament. If she is unable to compete at the level required for a WTA 250 tournament, the reserved wild card will be offered to another player.
Patrick Ciorcilă, Tournament Director of Transylvania Open powered by Kaufland Romania:
“We are glad that, once again this year, we can offer Romanian players the chance to compete in an important WTA tournament and to continue their international journey. The support of Romanian tennis is one of our missions. We want to grow a strong generation and make this sport as accessible and beloved as possible by the public in Romania. At the same time, Karolína Plíšková’s return to Cluj honors us. She is a valuable player with a remarkable record, and the fact that she wants to return to our tournament shows us that we are on the right path. We hope to see her again on court, alongside the other Cluj champion, Anastasia Potapova.”
The sixth edition of the Transylvania Open WTA 250 will take place between January 31 – February 7, 2026, at BTarena in Cluj-Napoca. Matches will be played, as usual, indoors, on two hard courts. 32 players in singles and 16 teams in doubles will compete for the main trophy.
The singles main draw will be completed by the four players who received wild cards, four other players coming through the qualifying rounds, as well as one player from the alternates list, according to the WTA ranking order.
According to WTA regulations, this last spot is initially reserved for a player eligible for special exempt status, meaning an athlete who cannot participate in the qualifying rounds because she is playing at least in the semifinals of a WTA tournament held in the previous week.
In the case of the Transylvania Open 2026 edition, the previous week coincides with the Australian Open, a Grand Slam tournament, which makes it impossible to grant special exempt status. Therefore, that spot will be occupied by the first player on the alternates list, according to the WTA ranking order.
The draw ceremony will take place on Friday, January 30, starting at 18:00.
LIST OF PLAYERS IN THE TRANSYLVANIA OPEN WTA 250 QUALIFYING ROUNDS
16 players will fight on court for a place on the singles main draw. Among them, two entered the list with wild cards – both are young Romanian players: Briana Szabo and Carmen Andreea Herea.
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Rebeka Masarova – Switzerland – Rank 115
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Taylor Townsend – USA – Rank 116
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Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah – France – Rank 118
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Marina Stakusic – Canada – Rank 127
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Viktoriya Tomova – Bulgaria – Rank 128
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Kaitlin Quevedo – Spain – Rank 129
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Yue Yuan – China – Rank 130
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Daria Snigur – Ukraine – Rank 136
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Lola Radivojevic – Serbia – Rank 137
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Lucrezia Stefanini – Italy – Rank 139
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Leyre Romero Gormaz – Spain – Rank 141
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Maja Chwalinska – Poland – Rank 145
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Varvara Lepchenko – USA – Rank 146
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Tamara Zidansek – Slovenia – Rank 151
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(WC) Briana Szabo – Romania
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(WC) Carmen Andreea Herea – Romania
For eight days, BTarena in Cluj-Napoca will host 58 women’s tennis matches, played on two completely separate courts – the Center Court and Court 2. Unlike previous editions, when the competition lasted nine days, the 2026 edition will feature eight days of play. Thus, on the second day of the tournament, Sunday, February 1, spectators will be able to watch not only qualifying matches, but also five main-draw matches: three singles and two doubles.
