Sorana Cirstea Stuns Top Seed in Dramatic Upset – Is This the Start of a Grand Slam Run?

Riding the high of her third career WTA crown in Cleveland, veteran Romanian star Sorana Cîrstea heads to the 2025 US Open brimming with form and confidence. The 35-year-old qualifier stormed through the Tennis in the Land draw without dropping a set, sealing the title with a 6-2, 6-4 win over American Ann Li and rocketing 41 spots to No. 71 in the live rankings. Cîrstea’s Cleveland renaissance is her first trophy since Istanbul 2021 and arrives almost exactly 17 years after her maiden triumph in Tashkent. After an injury-marred 2024 season that ended early due to plantar fasciitis, the former world No. 21 has rebuilt her game under returning coach Adrian Cruciat and now owns a 2025 win-loss record of 28-16, highlighted by quarter-final runs in Dubai and Brisbane before last week’s title surge. The Romanian’s aggressive first-strike tennis proved lethal in Ohio: she averaged 26 winners per match—17 off the forehand wing—while winning 78 % of service games. That blend of baseline firepower and renewed fitness will be tested on the hard courts of Flushing Meadows, where Cîrstea is defending quarter-final points from 2023 and opens her campaign Tuesday on Court 6 against Argentine teenager Solana Sierra. Key storylines for New York • Momentum machine: Since qualifying in Cleveland, Cîrstea has rattled off seven straight wins and 14 consecutive sets. • Grand Slam pedigree: She owns two major quarter-finals (Roland Garros 2009, US Open 2023) and a 45-44 lifetime record at Slams. • Draw outlook: A first-round victory could set up a meeting with No. 22 seed Emma Navarro; top-10 rival Ons Jabeur looms in a possible third round. • Ranking stakes: Reaching the fourth round would lift Cîrstea back inside the top 50; matching last year’s quarter-final would all but guarantee a return to the top 40. Quote of the week “I came to Cleveland just wanting matches,” Cîrstea said after lifting the trophy. “Now I’m leaving with a title, a lot of confidence and the feeling that anything is possible in New York.” Fast facts • Birthplace: Bucharest, Romania (7 Apr 1990) • Height: 1.75 m • Career titles: 3 singles, 5 doubles • Current ranking: No. 71 (projected), career-high No. 21 • Career prize money: $11.8 million • Social reach: 200k+ combined followers across Instagram and X SEO spotlight keywords: Sorana Cirstea Cleveland title 2025, Sorana Cirstea vs Solana Sierra, Sorana Cirstea US Open 2025 run, Romanian tennis veteran, WTA rankings update, Cirstea coach Adrian Cruciat.