Match of Day 2 at Transylvania Open: Jaqueline Cristian – Miriam Bulgaru | Preview

After day one of the tournament, in which Blinkova, the 2022 Transylvania Open champion, Rus, and Ana Bogdan all played excellent tennis in the BTarena, day two awaits us with Karolina Pliskova, a former world leader and one of the best-known players at Cluj, Tamara Korpatsch, the last year’s title champion, and four Romanian players: Andreea Mitu vs. Anastasija Sevastova, Anca Todoni vs. Erika Andreeva, and Jaqueline Cristian vs.Miriam Bulgaru will play on the Central Court (not before 18:00).

Here’s what you need to know about their match:

1. Their first big meeting. Jaqueline Cristian and Miriam Bulgaru will duel today for the first time at a WTA-level tournament. Until now, the two have played only once before, in the 2016 ITF circuit, when Jaqueline prevailed in three sets, 1-6, 7-5, 6-2. “We are from the same generation, I played a lot with her at the junior level, I can’t wait for the match, and may the best one win!”, Miriam Bulgaru prefaced regarding today’s match.
2. An opportunity for both. This meeting could prove to be important for the start of this season: Miriam Bulgaru can continue her ascension, having the chance to get closer to entering the top 100 this year (she is currently ranked 195th WTA), while Jaqueline Cristian can get the restart she needs, after a complicated start to the year, with three consecutive defeats.
3. A duel between two players from the same generation, but with different careers. Jaqueline and Miriam are both 25 years old, they are from the same generation, but their career paths are different. Jaqueline has already reached some important milestones, like being in the top 100 players worldwide and was already put in the position to fight for a WTA trophy. The next step for her will be to confirm and replicate these kinds of results as often as possible. With Miriam, the story is different, because she is just entering the big tennis scene. For her, any match of this kind, at such a tournament, matters. And any good result will bring her closer to her goal from now on.