The Transylvania Open WTA 250 is ready to start, and it brings big names from the world of tennis to Cluj-Napoca.
Sorana Cîrstea (ranked 25th in the WTA), the highest-ranked Romanian player globally, has become the number 1 favorite of the tournament after Caroline Garcia and Donna Vekić announced their withdrawals for medical reasons.
The competition takes place from October 16th to 22nd, 2023, at the BT Arena in Cluj-Napoca and begins with the qualification matches on the weekend of October 14th-15th. Access to the qualification rounds is free upon prior reservation, and there are currently 200 available seats. Tickets with a zero value can be purchased at the BT Arena box office.
Patrick Ciorcilă, Director of the Transylvania Open WTA 250, stated, “This year’s edition of Transylvania Open is a special one. We fought hard to keep the tournament in Cluj because initially, WTA officials announced the return of tournaments in China to the competition calendar. That would have ended the story of an event that enjoyed great success, both from the audience and the players, who named us the best WTA 250 tournament in the world last year. All these accolades motivated us, and we ultimately found a solution to continue.”
“We are thrilled to have confirmed big names from the world of tennis and many Romanian players. We can’t wait to see them in action, and we hope that tennis fans will come in large numbers to enjoy the highest-quality tennis together. We have a strong competition and a magical tournament ahead,” he added.
The matches at the Transylvania Open will be played indoors on hard courts at the BT Arena in Cluj-Napoca. The arena has been divided into two playing fields: the Central Court and Court 2, with two additional practice courts.
Qualifications for the Transylvania Open: Mara Gae makes her debut in the WTA circuit in Cluj!
Sixteen players will compete on October 14-15 in the Transylvania Open qualifications to earn one of the four available spots in the main singles draw. Among these players are four Romanians: Ilona Georgiana Ghioroaie, and Maria Sara Popa, and two young talents who received Wild Cards from the Transylvania Open: Briana Szabo and Mara Gae, the winner of the 2023 US Open junior doubles. At just 17 years old, Mara triumphed at Flushing Meadows, and in Cluj, she will make her debut in the professional tennis circuit.
The qualification matches will begin at 11:00. Five matches will be played on Court 2, and three matches on the Central Court:
Qualification Matches Central Court Schedule:
Raina, Ankita (IND) vs. Ghioroaie, Ilona-Georgiana (ROU) – 11:00 AM
WC Gae, Mara (ROU) vs. Matoula, Martha (GRE)
Makarova, Ekaterina vs. WC Szabo, Briana (ROU)
Draw Ceremony
Qualification Matches Court 2 Schedule:
Bandecchi, Susan (SUI) vs. Grammatikopoulou, Valentini (GRE) – 11:00 AM
Oz, Ipek (TUR) vs. Gleason, Quinn (USA)
WC Amariei, Ilinca (ROU) vs. Strakhova, Valeriya (UKR)
Popa, Maria Sara (ROU) vs. Soboleva, Anastasiya (UKR)
Jakupovic, Dalila (SLO) vs. WC Heisen, Vivian (GER) (not before 5:00 PM)
Sorana Cîrstea, the number 1 favorite in the singles main draw
This year’s singles competition is expected to be strong. Romanian player Sorana Cîrstea is the number 1 favorite in the tournament. She is the highest-ranked Romanian player globally, currently ranked 25th, just four positions away from her career-high ranking achieved in 2013. Among Sorana’s most significant achievements are reaching the quarterfinals at the French Open in 2009, the quarterfinals at the 2023 US Open, and the final at the 2013 Rogers Cup.
The main singles draw also includes five other Romanian players: Patricia Țig (ranked 65th WTA with a protected ranking), Ana Bogdan (ranked 71st WTA), Jaqueline Cristian (ranked 107th WTA), and two players who received Wild Cards from the Transylvania Open: Gabriela Ruse (ranked 185th WTA) and Miriam Bulgaru (ranked 183rd WTA). Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (82nd WTA), a Grand Slam finalist in 2021 at Roland-Garros, will also compete in Cluj.
In total, 32 players will compete in singles matches during the Transylvania Open 2023. The match composition will be determined on Saturday afternoon, October 14, after the last match on the Central Court, with a draw ceremony open to the public.
Singles Main Draw (Revised on October 13, 2023):
SORANA CIRSTEA ROU – ranked 25th WTA
ALYCIA PARKS USA – ranked 45th WTA
REBEKA MASAROVA ESP – ranked 64th WTA
PATRICIA MARIA TIG ROU – ranked 65th SR WTA
GREET MINNEN BEL – ranked 68th WTA
YANINA WICKMAYER BEL – ranked 70th WTA
ANA BOGDAN ROU – ranked 71st WTA
TAMARA KORPATSCH GER – ranked 78th WTA
ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA – ranked 82nd WTA
VIKTORIYA TOMOVA BUL – ranked 85th WTA
KATERYNA BAINDL UKR – ranked 86th WTA
JODIE BURRAGE GBR – ranked 91st WTA
DAYANA YASTREMSKA UKR – ranked 102nd WTA
ANNA BONDAR HUN – ranked 105th WTA
JAQUELINE CRISTIAN ROU – ranked 107th WTA
ANNA-LENA FRIEDSAM GER – ranked 114th WTA
EVA LYS GER – ranked 121st WTA
CELINE NAEF SUI – ranked 125th WTA
KAIA KANEPI EST – ranked 134th WTA
JIL TEICHMANN SUI – ranked 141st WTA
JESSIKA PONCHET FRA – ranked 149th WTA
LEOLIA JEANJEAN FRA – ranked 151st WTA
DARIA SNIGUR UKR – ranked 152nd WTA
NOMA NOHA AKUGUE GER – ranked 158th WTA
EMILIANA ARANGO COL – ranked 180th WTA
Wild Cards:
MIRIAM BULGARU ROU – ranked 183rd WTA
ELENA-GABRIELA RUSE ROU – ranked 185 WTA
NIKOLA BARTUNKOVA CZE – ranked 298th WTA
Vivian Heisen GER – will play in the qualifications.
Gabriela Ruse and Alycia Parks, the main favorites in the doubles draw
Sixteen teams will compete in the doubles draw for the Transylvania Open trophy from October 16th to 22nd, 2023. Romanian Gabriela Ruse (ranked 40th globally in doubles), who had a remarkable performance at this year’s Australian Open, where she reached the semifinals in doubles, will partner with American Alycia Parks (ranked 34th globally in doubles) and are the top favorites in the category. Monica Niculescu (ranked 43rd globally in doubles), a former Wimbledon doubles finalist, will team up with Germany’s Anna-Lena Friedsam (ranked 106th globally in doubles). Irina Bara (ranked 138th globally in doubles), who won the Transylvania Open doubles title in 2021 with Ekaterine Gorgodze, will partner with Jaqueline Cristian (ranked 240th globally in doubles). Both pairs received Wild Cards for the doubles draw. Most of the doubles matches will be played on Court 2.
Doubles Draw:
Alycia Parks / Gabriela Ruse
Anna Bondar / Kimberly Zimmermann
Greet Minnen / Yanina Wickmayer
Anna Lena Friedsam / Monica Niculescu
Dalila Jakupovic / Irina Khromacheva
Alicia Barnett / Olivia Nicholls
Valentini Grammatikopoulou / Elixane Lechemia
Ali Collins / Andrea Gamiz
Maia Lumsden / Jessika Ponchet
Vivian Heisen / Ankita Raina
Jodie Burrage / Jil Teichmann
WC: Jaqueline Cristian / Irina Bara (winner of the 2021 Transylvania Open doubles alongside Gorgodze)
Porsche Romania is once again a mobility partner for the Transylvania Open, providing an exclusive fleet of electric cars. The Taycan model is the official car of the tournament, emphasizing the importance of environmentally friendly mobility and showing that innovation and sports can go hand in hand toward a better future.
Wild Cards – Transylvania Open
Seven Romanian players will participate in the Transylvania Open based on wild card entries. Gabriela Ruse (ranked 185th WTA) and Miriam Bulgaru (ranked 183rd WTA) have direct entries into the main singles draw. Three more wild cards have been granted to young players: Mara Gae, Briana Szabo, and Ilinca Amariei, who will compete in the qualifications for a spot in the main singles draw. In the doubles draw, Irina Bara and Jaqueline Cristian received wild cards, where they will partner up. Two additional wild cards were awarded to Nikola Bartunkova (298th WTA) from the Czech Republic, who gained direct entry to the main singles draw, and German player Vivian Heisen, who will compete in the qualifications.
Tickets and Access
Abonnements for the Transylvania Open 2023 have sold out, but tennis fans can still purchase single-day tickets that provide access to all matches on both courts for the respective day. For the qualification days on October 14-15, the public can access free of charge with prior reservations made through the ticketing partner’s website, entertix.ro. Tennis enthusiasts who wish to attend the qualification matches but haven’t made a reservation yet still have the opportunity to obtain 200 zero-value tickets, which can be acquired on Saturday and Sunday at the BT Arena box office (entrance from Splaiul Independenței Street).
Tickets for the tournament are exclusively available on entertix.ro and are non-refundable. Entertix is the exclusive ticketing partner of the Transylvania Open.
The tournament’s partners have prepared various activities and dedicated areas for the public at BT Arena’s first ring. Tennis fans can relax between matches in these spaces and leave the tournament with a souvenir from the Transylvania Open shop. Additionally, food and drinks areas have been set up.
About Transylvania Open WTA 250
At the Transylvania Open WTA 250, 16 players will compete in the qualifications, 32 players will vie in singles, and 16 teams will compete in doubles. A total of 280 WTA points and $259,303 in prize money are at stake.
Transylvania Open is the most significant women’s tennis tournament in Romania and belongs to the WTA 250 category. The event brings top players from around the world for a week of intense competition at the BT Arena in Cluj-Napoca. With a consistent growth in popularity, the Transylvania Open WTA 250 continues to promote women’s tennis in Romania and worldwide.
