Gabriela Ruse, one of the most beloved players in Cluj this year, was eliminated in the first round of the Transylvania Open after a hard-fought and entertaining match against Rebeka Masarova: 6–1, 4–6, 6–2 for the Swiss representative.
It was their second meeting on the courts of the Transylvania Open, after the 2023 semifinal, won at the time by the Romanian player.
Masarova (world No. 114) plays a very aggressive brand of tennis, typical of a tall player who generates significant power, with a serve that is a major weapon. Facing an opponent built on a similar pattern, Gabi struggled to find her rhythm. She tried to hit harder than her opponent and to finish points quickly, but lacked cadence: unforced errors came more frequently than winners, and the first set quickly tilted in Masarova’s favor.
As Gabi, strongly encouraged by the animated crowd at BTarena, began to rediscover her reference points on court — stringing shots together and then points — the dynamic of the match started to change.
First, Gabi managed to hold her serve with far fewer difficulties, then settled much better into the rallies — showing patience and building her points more carefully. From there, it was only a small step to taking control and earning her first break of the match, which came at the perfect moment, at 5–4, when Masarova was serving to stay in the set.
In the deciding set, however, the balance tilted back in favor of Rebeka Masarova. She applied constant pressure on Gabriela, served excellently, and played inspired tennis in the key moments.
Masarova will next face Xinyu Wang, the tournament’s No. 4 seed and one of the most in-form players competing in Cluj this week.
Meanwhile, Gabriela Ruse continues her run in the doubles draw, where she teams up with Jaqueline Cristian.
