Over her 20-year career, Sorana Cîrstea has had days like this before — days when every shot she hits feels perfectly measured. But delivering a performance like this at home, in front of the supporters who came to see her in her final season, made it especially meaningful.
She said as much in her on-court interview after the impressive 6–1, 6–0 victory over Tamara Zidansek.
Sorana (seeded No. 3) produced what was likely one of her most dominant performances in recent times. She served impeccably and showed remarkable accuracy on every shot. It was the kind of match where she simply didn’t allow her opponent to play — the trademark aggression Sorana has displayed throughout her career, a style of tennis that always brings fans into the stands.
This clean, commanding performance may well be the best illustration of what Sorana is capable of on a tennis court. And the fact that, in her final season and in what is her last appearance in Cluj, she delivered such a brilliant and near-flawless match reinforces her statement of intent: “There are still many things I want to improve. There are many aspects where I feel I can add more. I’m a very ambitious person and, naturally, I want more. Honestly, I do have ranking and results goals for this final year.”
Beyond the quality of Sorana’s performance, this seemingly easy win also shows that she arrived in Cluj in excellent form. She will likely need that same mindset on Thursday in what is already shaping up to be a very attractive matchup: Sorana Cîrstea vs. Anastasia Potapova, the defending champion, for a place in the Transylvania Open semifinals.
Daria Snigur vs. Yue Yuan will complete the other quarterfinal in the bottom half of the draw.
Daria Snigur, just like Sorana, also had a fantastic day against Jaqueline Cristian, whom she defeated in two quick sets, 6–1, 6–0.
Aggressive and highly inspired, Daria — with her flat groundstrokes — managed to take time away from her opponent and reminded both the spectators and the players in the draw that, on a good day, she is a truly uncomfortable opponent to face.
Snigur plays a simple, fast brand of tennis that becomes extremely effective when all the pieces of her game fall into place, as they did on Wednesday at the BT Arena.
Daria Snigur will hope to see the ball just as well on Thursday, when she faces Yue Yuan for a place in the final four of this year’s Transylvania Open.
