Sorana Cirstea's Stunning Upset Sparks Viral Frenzy—Watch the Highlights

Romanian tennis veteran Sorana Cîrstea has booked a place in the Korea Open round of 16 after dismantling lucky-loser Anastasia Zakharova 6-3, 6-2 in Seoul, her second straight-sets victory over the Russian in the past month. The win stretches Cîrstea’s hard-court record this season to 20-9 and sets up a headline-grabbing showdown with world No. 2 Iga Świątek, a player she has yet to beat in five attempts. Key storylines to watch • Momentum from Cleveland glory Cîrstea lifted her first WTA singles trophy in four years at the Cleveland Championships in August, blasting 32 winners to beat China’s Wang Xiyu in the final and re-enter the Top 25. The 35-year-old has carried that confidence into Asia, winning nine of her last 12 matches. • Świątek hoodoo The Pole dominates their rivalry 5-0, sweeping the last 10 sets played. Yet their lone three-setter, at the 2022 Australian Open, showed Cîrstea’s flat first-strike tennis can rattle the four-time major champion. A faster Seoul hard court and humid conditions could shorten rallies and tilt a few key points the Romanian’s way. • Serve + forehand equation Against Zakharova, Cîrstea landed 71 % first serves and won 81 % of those points, numbers she must replicate to keep Świątek off the baseline. Her heavy inside-out forehand will target the Pole’s backhand corner, opening the court for drive volleys that proved lethal in Cleveland. • Ranking and Finals race implications At No. 23 in the Live Race, Cîrstea is one big run away from crashing the season-ending WTA Finals for the first time. A Seoul quarter-final would move her to the fringes of the Top 20 and, crucially, cut the gap on 8th-placed Ons Jabeur to under 350 points. Match-up facts Head-to-head: Świątek 5-0 2025 win-loss: Cîrstea 24-15 | Świątek 46-8 Hard-court titles this year: Cîrstea (Cleveland) | Świątek (Doha, Dubai, US Open) What Cîrstea said “I know the numbers aren’t in my favor, but tennis is about the present moment. I’m serving better, moving better and believing I can compete with anyone,” the Bucharest native told Romanian media before flying to Seoul. What’s next The round-of-16 clash is scheduled for Thursday night on Centre Court. If Cîrstea can spring the upset, she will face either Emma Raducanu or Diana Shnaider in the quarter-finals, opening up a clear path to her third semi-final of 2025. SEO takeaway Fans searching for “Sorana Cirstea Korea Open,” “Iga Swiatek vs Sorana Cirstea prediction,” and “Cirstea head-to-head Swiatek” will find this match pivotal to both the WTA Finals race and Cîrstea’s late-career renaissance.