Sorana Cîrstea advances to the Round of 16 at Hong Kong after a dramatic victory over Timofeeva

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Sorana Cîrstea advances to the quarterfinals at WTA Hong Kong after eliminating Stoiana

Sorana Cîrstea qualified for the quarterfinals of the Hong Kong WTA tournament after defeating American Mary Stoiana, an athlete of Romanian origins, with a score of 7-5, 6-1. The match lasted one hour and 44 minutes. This was the first direct confrontation between the two athletes on the professional tour. Stoiana is 23 years old, while Cîrstea is 36 and a half years old and occupies world number 15, her best career ranking. ^[4]

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Sorana Cîrstea advances to the quarterfinals at Hong Kong after eliminating Stoiana

Sorana Cîrstea, the main favorite at Hong Kong, reached the quarterfinals after defeating Mary Stoiana, an American player of Romanian origin, 7-5, 6-1. The match, during which the Romanian came back from 2-5 down in the first set, lasted only one hour and 44 minutes, with Cîrstea stating after the match: 'I felt that the match had many important, critical moments.' After two years, she is participating in Hong Kong for the first time, where she is happy to return. In the quarterfinals, Cîrstea will face Alexandra Shubladze, WTA rank 136, who came through qualifying, or Elena Pridankina, a lucky loser. Thus, the Romanian avoids a matchup against number 7 seed Liudmila Samsonova (defeated by Shubladze) or Paula Badosa (who retired, defeated by Shubladze), whom she would have met in the semifinal if she had advanced further. ^[3]

The 36-year-old tennis player, who had announced months ago that the 2026 season would be her last, saved two set points at the start of the match against Maria Timofeeva (Uzbekistan, WTA rank 70), even managing to win the tiebreak 8-6 after tying the score at 5-5. ^[3]

The news that Stoiana has a Romanian father and holds WTA position 114 is not surprising, and the quarterfinal schedule could include players such as Katie Boulter, Claire Liu, Zeynep Sonmez, Leylah Fernandez, or Sofia Kenin, if she goes further. ^[3]

Advancing to the next round brings the twelve qualifiers a bonus of $7,025 and 54 WTA points. ^[3]

The WTA 250 tournament in Hong Kong is endowed with total prize money of $283,347. ^[2]

Update

Sorana Cîrstea reaches the Hong Kong quarterfinals

Sorana Cîrstea has qualified for the quarterfinals of the WTA 250 Hong Kong tournament, a competition with total prize money of over $283,000. World number 15 and the tournament's main favorite, Sorana Cîrstea, reached the quarterfinals after overcoming Mary Stoiana with few difficulties. The player of Romanian origin represents the United States of America. The match score was 7-5, 6-1, lasting one hour and 44 minutes. The American led 5-2 in the first set and served to win the match, but Sorana Cîrstea managed a spectacular comeback, dominating the rest of the game. With this success, Sorana Cîrstea secured a bonus of $7,025 and 54 WTA points, consolidating her number 15 position in the WTA Live Rankings. In the Hong Kong quarterfinals, which could be the last in Sorana Cîrstea's career (if she does not change her mind and competes on the professional tour next year), our athlete will face Russian Alexandra Shubladze, 21 years old and ranked 136th in the world. Shubladze qualified for the quarterfinals after coming back from a 0-1 set deficit, defeating Russian Elena Pridankina. The match against Alexandra Shubladze will be the first direct confrontation between the two players. ^[6]

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Sorana Cîrstea advances to the Hong Kong WTA semifinals after defeating Shubladze

Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea extended her winning streak at Hong Kong, qualifying for the semifinals after defeating Russian Alexandra Shubladze, who competes under a neutral flag. The match was played within the framework of the WTA 250 tournament. In the next stage, Cîrstea will face either Venus Williams, the number 3 seed and seven-time Grand Slam champion, or Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina, the winner over Russian Liudmila Samsonova in the previous round. This edition of the Hong Kong tournament presents increased interest, as the potential winner of the competition can unlock a total prize of $30,000. ^[5]

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Sorana Cîrstea advances to the Hong Kong WTA semifinals after defeating Shubladze

In the semifinals, Sorana Cîrstea will face either Venus Williams, the number 3 seed and seven-time Grand Slam champion, or Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina, who defeated Russian Liudmila Samsonova in the previous round. This edition of the Hong Kong tournament presents increased interest because the winner can unlock a total prize of $30,000. ^[7]

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Sorana Cîrstea in the Hong Kong semifinals after victory over Shubladze

Tennis player Sorana Cîrstea (WTA rank 15) advances to the semifinals of the WTA 250 Hong Kong tournament after defeating Russian Alexandra Shubladze (WTA rank 136), who competes under a neutral flag. The match was played within the framework of the competition endowed with total prize money of $30,000. ^[8]

In the semifinals, Cîrstea will face either Venus Williams, the number 3 seed and seven-time Grand Slam champion, or Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina, who defeated Russian Liudmila Samsonova in the previous round. ^[8]

The success at Hong Kong continues the Romanian's solid run, having previously passed the first round against Maria Timofeeva in a marathon match lasting over three hours, saving multiple set points, and then eliminating Mary Stoiana, the American of Romanian origin, 7-5, 6-1, in a match lasting one hour and 44 minutes. ^[8]

For the Romanian player, qualification for the semifinals represents the continuation of her journey at the Asian tournament and getting closer to the final stages of the competition, with the possibility of unlocking a major prize if she reaches the final. ^[8]

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Sorana Cîrstea, qualification to the Hong Kong quarterfinals after recovering from 5-2 down in the set against Stoiana

Sorana Cîrstea defeated Mary Stoiana (WTA rank 114), 7-5, 6-1, at WTA 250 Hong Kong, advancing to the quarterfinals in a match that lasted 56 minutes for the first set and not much longer for the second, totaling slightly over an hour. The Romanian, sitting at world number 15 and the competition's main favorite, had to come from behind, trailing 5-2 in the first set. ^[9]

Qualifying for the quarterfinals represents a significant moment for Sorana Cîrstea, who announced in December 2025 that she intends to retire at the end of the 2026 season. Every match played until that date could be part of her last tournaments as a professional player. The match against Mary Stoiana was not easy at the start. Although she was the main favorite, Cîrstea found herself in trouble, trailing 5-2 in the first set, with the American close to victory. However, the Romanian won the next five consecutive games. After equalizing and taking the lead, Cîrstea ended the first set 7-5 after 56 minutes. In the second set, the difference between the two athletes became much clearer: the Romanian dominated the rallies, pushing Stoiana to just one break throughout the set and winning 6-1. Beyond progress in the tournament standings, the victory against Stoiana marks another important personal milestone for Cîrstea. The tennis player has already accumulated 40 matches won on the WTA circuit in this 2026 season, setting a new personal record, surpassing the 32 successes recorded in 2013. In the Hong Kong tournament quarterfinals, Sorana Cîrstea will face Russian Alexandra Shubladze, 21 years old, occupying WTA rank 136. The match is scheduled for Friday, November 6, with the start likely after 10:30 AM. At the end of the match, Sorana Cîrstea highlighted the difficulty of the match and the importance of her mindset: “It was a difficult match; she started playing extremely well, and I had to mobilize myself and find my resources to win that first set. That was actually the key; I was then able to play with more freedom. But I want to congratulate Mary; she played a very good match. At 5-2, I told myself I must be more solid, not give her any free points, and make her work hard for every point. I just wanted to stay in the match, but my serve helped in important moments. It was very good for me to get an easy point now and then!” Sorana Cîrstea implemented her physical and mental endurance strategy until the last minutes of the match against Mary Stoiana, winning crucial points on her serve and forcing the American to pay a high price for every game lost. ^[9]

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Sorana Cîrstea, new personal record at Hong Kong, qualification for the quarterfinals after defeating Stoiana

Sorana Cîrstea, the number 1 seed and main favorite at the WTA 250 Hong Kong tournament, advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating American Mary Stoiana, WTA rank 114, 7-5, 6-1. The match lasted slightly over an hour. With this victory, the Romanian tennis player set a new personal record, accumulating her fourth decade of success on the WTA circuit in the 2026 season, surpassing her previous record of 32 wins set in 2013 Adevărul. Cîrstea (WTA rank 15, 36 years old) was forced to come from behind to conquer the first part of the match. She found herself in trouble while trailing 5-2, a situation in which the American was just one game away from winning the set Adevărul. The Romanian changed the rhythm, becoming more aggressive and managing to win five consecutive games. She finished the first set 7-5 after 56 minutes, using a short game to take the set. In the second set, the difference clarified: Cîrstea dominated the rallies, benefiting from the opponent's double fault and pushing Stoiana to just one break, with a final score of 6-1. The Romanian stated after the match: “It was a difficult match; she started playing extremely well, and I had to mobilize myself and find my resources to win that first set. That was actually the key; I was then able to play with more freedom. But I want to congratulate Mary; she played a very good match. At 5-2, I told myself I must be more solid, not give her any free points, and make her work hard for every point. I just wanted to stay in the match, but my serve helped in important moments. It was very good for me to get an easy point now and then!” Adevărul. Qualification for the quarterfinals places Cîrstea seventh in her series of qualifications for the fourth round of a WTA tournament in 2026. This time she reached here also in Cluj-Napoca, where she won the trophy, as well as in Rouen, Rome, Roland Garros, and Linz Adevărul. In the Hong Kong quarterfinals, the Romanian will face Russian Alexandra Shubladze (WTA rank 136, 21 years old). The match is scheduled for Friday, November 6, starting likely after 10:30 AM. ^[10]