There are a lot of interesting players on Transylvania Open Qualifying Draw: some experienced ones, who have already reached some peaks in women’s tennis (Dayana Yastremska, Ana Konjuh, Lesia Tsurenko), some who are in full ascent (Harmony Tan, Clara Burel, Anastasia Gasanova), and also some very young and promising players (Brianna Szabo, Lavinia Tanasie, Elina Avanesyan).
Who got the wild cards
Alexandra Cadanțu, Cristina Dinu, Briana Szabo, Lavinia Tanasie.
Who are the favourites
The Bulgarian Victoriya Tomova, World No. 91, is the No. 1 seed in TO qualifiers. Tomova, 27, has arrived in Cluj after her best season so far: in 2022 she played her first quarterfinal in a WTA 500, her first WTA final, and she entered Top 100.
Besides Tomova there are Dayana Yastremska, a former Top 20 player and one of the most aggressive players in the circuit, and the experienced Lesia Tsurenko, a Grand Slam quarterfinalist who also has four WTA trophies in her portfolio. The favourites list also includes Tamara Korpatsch, Oceane Dodin, Misaki Doi, Clara Burel and Harmony Tan.
The Romanians
Five Romanians play qualifiers in Transylvania Open 2022. Cristina Dinu, Alexandra Ignatik, Briana Szabo, Gabriela Lee and Lavinia Tanasie will try to reach the Main Draw and all of them are facing tough opponents.
Cristina Dinu will meet Victoriya Tomova, Alexandra Ignatik plays against Clara Burel, and Briana Szabo, the youngest competitor at this edition, faces Elina Avanesyan. The other two Romanians will be seriously tested, as they meet higher-level players: Lee is playing against Yastremska, and Tanasie, who is 18 and World No. 674, is debuting in a WTA tournament against Harmony Tan.
Players to watch
Besides the favourites and the Romanians, there are other players worth watching: Ana Konjuh, a former Grand Slam quarterfinalist, who had to face a series of injuries throughout her career; Harmony Tan, the French player who defeated Serena Williams in Wimbledon’s first round and then reached fourth round; Olga Danilovic, one of the most promising players of the new generation.
Promising matches on TO’s first day
Oceane Dodin vs. Ana Konjuh – this is a duel between two players who have a lot of high-level experience.
Lavinia Tanasie vs. Harmony Tan – for Tanasie, this is the most important match of her short career so far; for the public, it is an opportunity to discover Lavinia and at the same time to understand and watch Harmony’s creative style.
Dayana Yastremska vs. Gabriela Lee – Yastremska is one of the most valuable players attending this edition and her aggressive tennis could produce a lot of “victims” this week. Gabriela faces a tough, but not impossible mission against the No. 2 seed of the qualifiers.
