After her victory in the doubles alongside Irina Bara on Tuesday evening, Jaqueline Cristian returns with another win in the singles draw at the Transylvania Open 2023, defeating Swiss player Celine Naef in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.
With this win, Jaqueline now has 11 victories in her last 15 matches. Since the US Open, Cristian has reached at least the quarterfinals in all the tournaments she has participated in (Bari, Bucharest, Parma, Rouen – all WTA125K tournaments).
As a result of these performances, Jaqueline has returned to the top 100 in the WTA rankings, and a deep run in Cluj could bring her closer to her career-best ranking.
For the second time in the last two weeks, Jaqueline has defeated Naef, a player ranked 121st in the world, after last week’s three-set victory at Rouen (WTA125K), where Jaqueline reached the semifinals.
The first set was highly competitive, with Jaqueline having to come from behind each time. The balance was broken in the eighth game when the Romanian secured the crucial break and served out the set flawlessly, with her serve performing at a high level. In this first set, Jaqueline never lost her serve and only dropped three points on her first serve.
Having won the first set, Jaq, as affectionately called by fans, made sure to quickly close out the second set, remaining focused and attentive to her game plan. She broke early, at 2-2, and maintained this advantage until the end, with her strong service aiding her throughout. In the second set as well, Jaqueline maintained a high percentage on her serves, not facing any break points.
To make it to the quarterfinals at the Transylvania Open, Jaqueline will have to overcome Eva Lys, who eliminated the top seed, Sorana Cîrstea, in straight sets.
