Article by Luminița Paul – Published Saturday, October 25, 2025, 6:29 p.m. / Updated Saturday, October 25, 2025, 6:35 p.m.
Sorana Cîrstea (35 years old, 45th WTA rank) will participate in the WTA 250 tournament in Hong Kong, being the only “tricolor” on the field in the last competitions of the season, one that ends with the Tournament of Champions in Ryadh (November 1-8).
For Sorana Cîrsteathe year 2025 brought many smiling moments, even if the start was slower. The horizon brightened starting at the end of April, with the doubles title in Madrid.
Returning this season in January after a long 6-month layoff during which she endured foot surgery, she has since built month after month, adding new milestones to her record.
Sorana Cîrstea, the only Romanian on the field next week
And extending the good feelings she has been experiencing in Asia for two months now, Sorana will also participate in the tour WTA 250 from Hong Kong – one of the last to appear on the WTA calendar before the Tournament of Champions in Riyadh, along with those in Guangzhou and Chennai. And in which she has not taken part so far, but where she is the 7th favorite on the main draw in the current edition.
The Hong Kong pageant has a fragmented history. It was contested between 1980 and 1982, returned with a single edition in 1993, then with another five between 2014 and 2018, among the winners being Sabine Lisicki, Jelena Jankovic, Caroline Wozniacki and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Another interruption followed, but starting in 2023 it regained its place on the calendar.
Cîrstea will face her in the first round on Dalma Galfi (27 years old, 93rd place in the world), with whom he has never faced before in the professional circuit.
Sorana Cîrstea, second part of the season on the rise
After the US Open, where she stopped in the second round, the Romanian performed well in Asia. Seoul second round (WTA 500) – defeated by Iga Swiatekin Beijing (WTA 1000) – lost to Karolina Muchova and in Wuhan (WTA 1000) – eliminated by Shuai Zhangthen advanced to the semi-finals in Osaka (WTA 250), losing to the Canadian Leylah Fernandez.
The most fruitful part of the season was between Wimbledon and the US Open. Then he played in the semi-finals on clay in Iasi, in the WTA 250 tournament, advanced to the “eighties” in Cincinnati (WTA 1000) and won the third title of his career at the end of a dream route in Cleveland (WTA 250), coming from the qualifications and going all the way to the trophy.
Sorana had started the year on 72nd placeas a result of the absence caused by the surgical intervention, and, as until Iași he had only managed two quarter-finals, in Dubai and Dallas, he had slipped to the 169th position in the middle of the season.
But then he climbed steadily and steadily, reaching 45th this week, 24 places off his career high (21, achieved on August 12, 2013).
Other Romanian players are not in the WTA main draws in the coming week.
