Sorana Cirstea claimed her fourth WTA title by overpowering top seed Emma Raducanu 6-0, 6-2 in the Transylvania Open final in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The 35-year-old Romanian, playing her final season on tour, dominated the match in 63 minutes amid a flawless run without dropping a set. Raducanu, fatigued from her semi-final, praised her opponent and the home crowd despite the loss.
The Transylvania Open final on February 8, 2026, pitted home favorite Sorana Cirstea against British No. 1 Emma Raducanu, who was seeking her second career WTA title. Cirstea, the third seed, started strongly, winning the first seven points and breaking Raducanu's serve after the Brit saved five break points. She secured the opening set bagel in 30 minutes, converting 68% of points on Raducanu's serve and hitting nine winners to Raducanu's one.
Raducanu, appearing drained after her marathon semi-final victory over Ukraine's Oleksandra Oliynykova the previous day, struggled throughout. She committed 19 unforced errors, three double faults, and lost serve six times, managing only one winner. A brief fightback saw her break back to level the second set at 2-2 and call for the trainer, but Cirstea regrouped, breaking twice more to close out the match with six aces.
In her on-court speech, Raducanu expressed gratitude: "I want to thank the public. You really made me feel at home this week. Sorry, today I couldn’t bring my best." She congratulated Cirstea: "You’ve had an incredible week. I think you’re playing great tennis." Reflecting on the week, Raducanu noted, "It’s been like 4 or 5 years since my last final. It means a lot. I’m really happy it’s here in Cluj." She added, "I used all of my resilience today. The match was very difficult – emotionally and physically... Winning four matches in a row is not something I’ve managed very often."
For Cirstea, the victory marked her first WTA title on Romanian soil and a poignant moment in her announced final season. "I will retire from tennis at the end of this year, and I will retire a happy person — and that is thanks to the memories you gave me this week in Cluj!" she said, thrilling the partisan crowd. Raducanu's run, including wins over Greet Minnen, Kaja Juvan, Maja Chwalinska, and Oliynykova, boosts her to No. 25 in the world rankings, her first final since the 2021 US Open.
