Anastasia Potapova survives a serious test, Katerina Siniakova gathers important victories, Ella Seidel makes a name for herself, and the Italian players continue to impress. After another day of spectacular tennis, the fifth edition of the Transylvania Open has reached the quarterfinals stage.
Top seed Anastasia Potapova advanced to the TO2025 quarterfinals after a tough match, where she managed to raise her level at the right moment. Potapova defeated Viktorija Golubic in two sets, 6-4, 7-5, making an incredible comeback in the second set from 1-5 down.
Struggling with a shoulder injury that required medical attention, Potapova made an impressive comeback, saving a set point at 2-5, then three more at 4-5, before turning the match around and sealing the victory.
After reaching the quarterfinals in Brisbane and Linz, Transylvania Open marks Potapova’s third QF appearance in 2025. For a spot in the semifinals, she will face the tournament’s biggest surprise, Ella Seidel.
At just 19 years old and ranked No. 143 WTA, Ella Seidel has been the revelation of this tournament. And she’s a name to remember. With aggressive yet precise tennis and serves exceeding 190 km/h, Seidel has dominated every opponent she has faced in Cluj. The playing surface suits her game perfectly and she has already racked up four consecutive wins in Cluj, coming through qualifications without dropping a set.
Her most recent victory came against Anna Blinkova, 6-2, 7-6. Despite struggling with lower back pain, Blinkova threw everything she had at Seidel, especially in the second set. But Seidel served with power, hitting the lines and dictating a relentless pace that Blinkova ultimately couldn’t keep up with.
With this win, Seidel secures her second WTA quarterfinal appearance, following last year’s Budapest quarterfinals, and moves closer to breaking into the Top 100.
Katerina Siniakova, the 5th seed in Cluj and recent Australian Open doubles champion, also booked her place at the Transylvania Open quarterfinals with a hard-fought victory over Caroline Dolehide, 2-6, 6-1, 6-4.
After a tough four-match losing streak in singles, Siniakova is finally finding her rhythm again in singles play. This is her first WTA quarterfinal appearance since October 2024.
Currently the world’s No. 1 in doubles with 10 Grand Slam titles, Siniakova had to fight hard against Dolehide: she was completely outplayed in the first set but quickly turned the match around in the second one. In the deciding set, she relied on her experience to outlast her dangerous American opponent.
Siniakova’s next opponent will be Victoriya Tomova, who eliminated No. 2 seed Olga Danilovic in a 7-5, 7-5 thriller.
Anhelina Kalinina and Aliaksandra Sasnovich, both former Top 30 players with a lot of experience in the WTA circuit, will fight for a place in the semifinals in what promises to be a classic showdown. The two know each other well, as Kalinina defeated Sasnovich two years ago in Charleston.
To reach this stage, No. 4 seed Kalinina overcame Suzan Lamens in a hard-fought three-set battle (1-6, 6-4, 6-4), while Sasnovich, who entered the tournament as a lucky loser, defeated Marina Stakusic, 6-4, 7-5.
Elisabetta Cocciaretto put on a dominant display in her round of 16 match against Ana Bogdan, securing a 6-3, 6-0 victory without the slightest hesitation.
Seeded 7th at this year’s edition, Cocciaretto controlled the match from the beginning until the end: she had quicker reactions than her opponent, earlier ball strikes and superior court speed. Against such a sharp and aggressive game, Ana—the crowd’s favorite in Cluj—struggled to find solutions. Everything seemed to happen too fast for the 2024 finalist, who was defeated last year by the experienced Karolina Pliskova.
With this early exit in the second round, Ana Bogdan was the last remaining Romanian player on the main draw.
Cocciaretto’s win brings her a meeting with fellow Italian player Lucia Bronzetti, who followed up her impressive victory over Simona Halep with another straight-set win over No. 3 seed Peyton Stearns.
