In a surprising turn of events, Sorana Cirstea defeated Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets in the quarter-finals of the Miami Open. The win secured Cirstea’s first WTA 1000 semi-final in a decade, and the Romanian player credits her recent upturn in form to her coach, Thomas Johansson.
Throughout the match, Cirstea looked comfortable and composed, breaking Sabalenka’s first service game and securing the opening set. Despite Sabalenka’s attempts to come back, Cirstea broke her opponent’s serve again and eventually clinched the match with an ace down the middle.
Following the victory, Cirstea admitted to being surprised by the result and praised Sabalenka’s recent performances. “I’m very happy to get the win against Aryna, because she has been playing great lately. She’s probably one of the two or three best at the moment. So this gives me a lot of confidence,” she said.
Meanwhile, Sabalenka acknowledged that she struggled with the heat and the conditions of the match, but remained optimistic about her future performances. “The first three months of the year were fantastic for me. I’m just proud of the consistency of my game and I have to keep working, keep improving,” she said.
Cirstea will now face the winner of the postponed quarter-final match between Ekaterina Alexandrova and Petra Kvitova in the semi-finals of the Miami Open.
