Three Romanians on the main draw at the Australian Open + Miriam Bulgaru, the only tricolor in the qualifications
Article by Roxana Fleşeru – Published Thursday, December 25, 2025, 1:02 p.m. / Updated Thursday, December 25, 2025 1:07 p.m.
Jaqueline Cristian (27 years old, 39 WTA), Sorana Cîrstea (35 years old, 43 WTA) and Gabriela Ruse (28 years old, 88 WTA) are the three players from Romania who will be present in the main draw at the Australian Open (January 18 – February 1). Miriam Bulgaru (27 years old, 200 WTA) will enter the qualifiers (January 12–18).
The first Grand Slam tournament is approaching, and the organizers have published the lists of players who will perform in Melbourne between January 12 and February 1.
Romania will be represented by four players at this edition. Miriam Bulgaru is the only tricolor who entered the qualifications.
On the main table are Jaqueline Cristian, Sorana Cîrstea and Gabriela Ruse. The best-ranked player from Romania is on the main draw at the Australian Open for the fifth time, with her best result being reaching the third round in 2025.
Sorana Cîrstea will play her eighteenth main draw in Melbourne, the last of her career, the Romanian announcing that 2026 will be her last season. The best result is reaching the optimums in 2017 and 2022.
Gabriela Ruse, who made a year-end sprint to capture the main draw, is on the 128 grid for the third time, advancing to the second round each time.
In 2025, Romania had six representatives, three in the qualifications (Anca Todoni, Gabriela Ruse, Miriam Bulgaru) and three directly on the main draw (Irina Begu, Jaqueline Cristian and Sorana Cîrstea). Anca Todoni and Gabriela Ruse passed the qualifications and were present on the main draw.
With which tournaments does the 2026 season start in the women's circuit
Before playing in the first Grand Slam tournament of the year in 2026, the Romanian women are also present in the competitions preceding it.
Sorana Cîrstea and Jaqueline Cristian are registered for the WTA 500 tournament in Brisbane, between January 4-11.
The 2026 WTA season kicks off on January 2 with the United Cup, followed by Brisbane and Auckland (WTA 250) on January 4 and 5, followed by Adelaide (WTA 500) and Hobart (WTA 250) the following week, January 12–17.
