Sorana Cirstea confirms retirement after Hong Kong Open loss

Sorana Cirstea has confirmed she plans to retire after her defeat at the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open, bringing an end to a 20-year career. The Romanian world No 15 lost 6-2, 6-3 to Russia’s Alexandra Shubladze in the quarter-finals on Friday.

The match in Hong Kong

Competing in a main WTA 250 draw for the first time, Shubladze beat Cirstea, the No 1 seed, in one hour and 27 minutes. Shubladze broke Cirstea’s serve on three occasions, the last of them to wrap up victory on her second match point. Shubladze said she treated the final point as just another point, not match point, because she had to stay focused.

Shubladze, whose progress was stalled by a torn anterior cruciate ligament two years ago, said she missed eight months after the ACL tear, which was very tough because she had never had an injury. She said she worked really hard on her mentality and wanted to come back stronger. After winning six tournaments this year, including her first WTA 125 title in Jingshan two months ago, Shubladze’s world ranking has climbed from No 391 to No 136.

Shubladze will play Claire Liu in the semi-finals on Saturday, after Liu outplayed Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez to win their quarter-final 6-1, 6-4. Maria Sakkari, the No 4 seed, claimed a straight sets victory over qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-2, 6-3. She will meet Alexandra Eala, who outlasted Antonia Ruzic 7-6, 7-5 in a 2½ hour tussle, for a place in Sunday’s final.

Cirstea’s retirement decision

Late on Friday night, Cirstea told the South China Morning Post that she planned to stand by her decision to call time on her career. Having said 2026 would be her last season, Cirstea acknowledged that after climbing to a career-high world No 15, and reaching the second week of the US Open in September, she “started to have doubts about the retirement”.

“But with the way the things finished here in Asia [where she also lost early in Wuhan, Ningbo and Tokyo] I think the decision is quite clear,” Cirstea said.

“I was out of batteries, I didn’t have anything, and it’s been a long year. I need to take a break to process everything, then the final announcement will probably come in a couple of weeks.”

Cirstea reached the semi-finals in Italy and beat then-World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, becoming the oldest woman to record a first career win over a reigning No.1 in the Open era. She has joined an elite club consisting of Serena and Venus Williams and Martina Navratilova, becoming the third woman aged 36 or older to finish a season ranked inside the world’s top 16 in the last 40 years.

Privacy comments

Cirstea also defended her close friend Mirra Andreeva, the reigning French Open champion, after American world No 5 Jessica Pegula was caught on practice-court microphones in California calling Andreeva a “diva” who “needs to be humbled”. Pegula was unaware her comments were being live streamed.

“I absolutely love Mirra, and I think she’s amazing for the sport,” Cirstea said. “She’s a great player, and she has a great personality. I get along so well with her and ... every time she plays I’m really, really cheering for her.”

Cirstea said she understands people want access, but thinks players need to be informed if there are microphones and cameras. “I think microphones and cameras should not be in our private spaces, so I’m a little bit against all these things.”

Why it matters

Cirstea’s retirement ends a 20-year career that included a career-high world No 15 ranking and a second week run at the US Open in September. Her Hong Kong exit came after early losses in Wuhan, Ningbo and Tokyo, which she said made her decision clear.

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Sources

• scmp.com: Sorana Cirstea confirms retirement after Hong Kong exit, defends under-fire Mirra Andreeva | South China Morning Post
• nypost.com: Tennis star Sorana Cirstea loses Hong Kong Open match and immediately retires from sport

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.