Cirstea, return and first champion of Catalonia Open WTA 125

The 33-year-old Romanian Sorana Cirstea was declared the champion of the first edition of the Catalonia Open WTA 125 – Reus Cosa Dorada International Trophy, held this week at the Reus Monterols Tennis Club. He defeated the American from the previous stage in the final elizabeth mandlik by 6/1 4/6 and 7/6 (1) saving a match ball in the third quarter, where he raised 2/5 against.

In the first set, Cirstea went to work. The Romanian tennis player showed a very good version of himself, playing with order and mastering all aspects of the game. While Mandlik, who noticed the nerves of playing a WTA final for the first time in his career, did not find consistency from the bottom of the court, making many unforced errors (6/1).

The second sleeve is completely different. The American, now with nothing to lose, began to play fearlessly, more aggressively and accelerated all his shots to the lines. This allowed them to get a comfortable lead on the scoreboard in just 10 minutes (4/0) and take the second set for sure (6/4).

In the third and decisive set, Cirstea started the match perfectly, there were many mistakes and the game was messy. Mandlik knew how to read this situation perfectly and developed a confidence that helped him to let go, take the initiative at all points and force his rival to play every ball. This allowed him to get 5/2 favour. However, Cirstea is reborn, managing to level the match (5/5). In an exciting end to the game, the tiebreak came with the Romanian having the upper hand.

Jordi Tamayo, President of the Catalan Tennis Federation, and Arantxa Sanchez VicarioTennis Català ambassador, awarded the champion to Sorana Cirstea.