Cirstea, Soon To Retire, Routs Raducanu for Emotional Title on Home Soil – Tennis Now
A dream moment, in her final season.
35-year-old Sorana Cirstea, who recently announced that 2026 would be her final season on tour, was a 6-0, 6-2 winner over No. 1-seeded Emma Raducanu, as she claimed her title at the Transylvania Open in Cluj-Napoc, Romania. It was Cirstea’s fourth career title, and the final required only 63 minutes.
“Someone please pinch me, because this is a dream come true,” 36th-ranked Cirstea said afterward. “I still can’t believe that I’m holding the trophy as champion here in Cluj. I am so happy, I cannot describe it in words.”
Champion on home soil 💜@sorana_cirstea defeats Raducanu in straight sets and becomes the first home winner in Cluj-Napoca ✨#TO2026 pic.twitter.com/1uD01dBeui
— wta (@WTA) February 7, 2026
Winning a title on home soil was an emotional achievement for Cirstea, who was handed the trophy by Romanian legend Simona Halep.
Simona Halep hands Sorana Cirstea the Champion’s trophy in Cluj-Napoca.
Very sweet moment for Sorana in her final season, winning her 4th career title.
To do it at home makes it all the more special.
🇷🇴❤️ pic.twitter.com/VaKF7N8AUw
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) February 7, 2026
Cirstea didn’t drop a set and recorded three bagel sets in her five matches.
1r: d. K. RAKHIMOVA (#93) 6-4 6-4 (1h 40m)
2r: d. T. ZIDANSEK (#153) 6-1 6-0 (53m)
QF: d. A. POTAPOVA (#58) 7-5 6-4 (2h 1m)
SF: d. D. SNIGUR (#144) 6-0 6-3 (56m)
F: d. E. Raducanu (#30) 6-0, 6-2 (63m)
Raducanu was playing in her first tour-level final since winning the 2021 US Open, where she was the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam title in the Open Era.
“Sorry, today I didn’t bring my best,” Raducanu said afterward. “Honestly, it’s been a while since I gave one of these speeches.
