Caroline Garcia, Karolína Plíšková, and Donna Vekić will battle for the trophy in Cluj. Sorana Cîrstea, the most in-form Romanian player, is among the tournament favorites.
The new edition of the Transylvania Open WTA 250, the best WTA 250 tournament in the world in 2022, brings big names in the tennis world to Cluj-Napoca. Caroline Garcia (world ranking 11), the winner of the 2022 WTA Finals, is the number 1 favorite for the tournament, which will take place at the BT Arena from October 16 to 22, 2023. Alongside her at the Transylvania Open will be Donna Vekić (world ranking 21 WTA), Sorana Cîrstea (world ranking 25 WTA), the highest-ranked Romanian player globally, and Karolína Plíšková (world ranking 36 WTA), a former world leader in singles. The main draw of the tournament also includes two more Romanian players: Patricia Țig (world ranking 65 WTA) and Ana Bogdan (world ranking 71 WTA). Jaqueline Cristian (world ranking 107 WTA) is also ready to compete in the third edition of the tournament.
Patrick Ciorcilă, director of the Transylvania Open WTA 250, said, “We are thrilled to have such big names in the world of tennis confirmed for the new edition of the Transylvania Open and are happy to offer the audience a true tennis spectacle. The entry list for the tournament has closed recently, and we are waiting for the final list from the WTA officials, but we can already say that a very strong tournament awaits us. We have Caroline Garcia, currently ranked 11th, the current winner of the WTA Finals. Sorana Cîrstea is in great form and will play with us for the first time. Karolína Plíšková, a double Grand Slam finalist, will also be present at the tournament. We can’t wait to see them on the court, and we hope that tennis fans will come in large numbers to enjoy high-quality tennis.”
Caroline Garcia, currently ranked 11th in the world, has captured the tennis world’s attention since 2011 when she came close to defeating Maria Sharapova at the French Open. Since then, Garcia has reached the top 5 in the world rankings in both singles and doubles, where she has won two Grand Slam titles. 2022 marked Garcia’s strong comeback to the top of the women’s game, as she climbed from 74th place to fourth in the world rankings in just a few months, a position she had previously achieved in 2018 before facing four challenging years. She ended the season with the trophy at the WTA Finals, becoming the second representative of France to win this prestigious competition after Amelie Mauresmo in 2005. Garcia also won four singles titles in 2022, including victories at Bad Homburg, Warsaw (where she played in the final against Romanian Ana Bogdan), and Cincinnati. In addition to these, she also won the Roland Garros doubles title alongside her compatriot Kristina Mladenovic.
Donna Vekić, currently ranked 21st in the world, has stood out by winning four singles titles on the WTA circuit: the Malaysian Open in 2014, the Nottingham Open in 2017, the Courmayeur Ladies Open in 2021, and this year’s Monterrey Open. Her highest career ranking was 19th in the world, achieved on November 4, 2019.
Sorana Cîrstea is the highest-ranked Romanian player in the world rankings. She is currently ranked 25th, just four positions away from her career-high ranking achieved in 2013. Some of Sorana’s notable achievements include reaching the quarterfinals at the French Open in 2009, the quarterfinals at the 2023 US Open, and the final at the 2013 Rogers Cup.
Karolína Plíšková is a former world number 1 in singles. She reached the top spot in 2017, holding it for eight weeks. Known for her powerful serve and aggressive forehand, Plíšková has won 16 singles titles and five doubles titles on the WTA circuit and has reached two Grand Slam singles finals, at the US Open in 2016 and Wimbledon in 2021.
The complete list of players for the Transylvania Open 2023 is here.
The Transylvania Open WTA 250 will take place from October 16 to 22, 2023, and will start with two days of qualifications on October 14-15, 2023. The matches will be played indoors on hard courts at the BT Arena on two courts.
In the Transylvania Open WTA 250, 16 players will compete in qualifications, 32 players in singles, and 16 teams in doubles. A total of 280 WTA points and $259,000 in prize money will be at stake.
