Ever since the draw was made, the potential clash between Sorana Cîrstea and Anastasia Potapova had fans of attacking tennis excited. And the match between Sorana (seeded No. 3) and Anastasia (seeded No. 5) delivered on every promise. After more than two hours of spectacular tennis — and a barrage of winners — Sorana emerged victorious, 7–5, 6–4.
The first set was a true marathon, with both players enjoying stretches in which their aggressive games shone through. Sorana was the first to break the deadlock, earning a break at 4–3, but Anastasia responded strongly, raising her level and moving ahead 5–4.
From that point until the end of the set, Sorana found an extra gear in both aggression and precision, allowing her to level the score, take control, and ultimately claim the set. It was the fast yet well-measured tennis that impressed throughout her week in Cluj.
The biggest test for Sorana in this match was not necessarily winning the opening set, but staying sharp and keeping the match under control against an opponent who thrives in exactly these situations. Potapova, the 2025 champion, arrived at the match with seven consecutive wins in Cluj and had come back from a set down in each of her previous two matches by playing her best tennis at the most important moments.
Sorana handled this challenge almost flawlessly. She didn’t allow Potapova to swing the momentum and made a strong statement early in the second set by securing a break. She stayed focused, maintained the tempo, and consistently applied pressure on her opponent’s serve.
Potapova, however, refused to give in. She saved multiple double-break points and came close to leveling the set. Faced with this heroic resistance, Sorana held firm — mentally and tactically — responding calmly and effectively to everything Potapova tried.
Sorana will now play for a place in the final against the winner of the match between Daria Snigur and Yue Yuan.
