Gabriela Ruse advances to the Transylvania Open semifinals after a significant victory over Emiliana Arango, who is ranked 118th in the WTA rankings. Gabriela defeated Arango in three sets, 6-1, 0-6, 6-1, in a match filled with many twists and turns, with both players showcasing excellent tennis at different points. Gabriela was impressive in the first and deciding sets, while Arango had a flawless performance in the second set.
By reaching the Transylvania Open semifinals, Gabriela becomes the first player to achieve this feat in Cluj since Simona Halep in 2021. Moreover, this is the most significant result Gabriela has obtained in 2023, marking her first WTA 250 semifinal of the year.
After a genuinely challenging season in which she hadn’t managed to string together more than two victories in any WTA tournament before Cluj, Gabriela was seeking a good result at the Transylvania Open to boost her confidence and rebuild her ranking.
After three very impressive victories against much higher-ranked players, Gabi is closing in on a return to the top 130 players in the world.
Her encounter with Emiliana Arango, who is in the best form of her career, having reached two WTA quarterfinals (at Guadalajara, WTA 1000, and now in Cluj), was an atypical one in terms of its progression: Gabriela clearly dominated the first set, playing incredibly precise tennis, and then it was Arango’s turn to raise her level and dominate, winning the second set to love.
After two relatively mirror-image sets, the decider followed the same trajectory: Gabriela regained her rhythm and picked up where she left off in the first set, playing aggressively, intensely, and precisely.
For her first WTA final in Cluj – and the third of her career – Gabriela will have to get past Ana Bogdan or Rebeka Masarova.