“DJ contact me!” » “Group therapy” at the press conference of Jaqueline Cristian and Gabriela Ruse

Gabriela Ruse and Jaqueline Cristian, players with high expectations from the Transylvania Open singles competition, were eliminated very early. Ruse lost in round 1, score 1-6, 6-4, 2-6with Rebeka Masarova (26 years old, 114 WTA), and Cristian was defeated without the right to appeal in the second round, score 1-6, 0-6 vs. Daria Snigur (23 years old, 144 WTA).

Jaqueline Cristian and Gabriela Ruse, in the doubles semifinals: “A little more nervous today, but we did our job”

The two vented their frustration in the doubles and on Wednesday night they managed to beat Eudice Chong/En Shuo Liang 6-2, 7-5. Next, they will duel with Xinyu Wang and Saisai Zheng.

Ruse and Cristian came to the press conference and made fun of the trouble, having a discussion with many laughs with the journalists present in the room. Jaqueline, who had been the “spokesperson” at the previous conference, gave way to her teammate: “Gabi, you're talking today, I don't have much to say“.

“It was a very good match. I think we both played pretty well. I was a little more nervous today, but we did a good job. I'm glad to play the semifinal tomorrow. We really want to win this tournament. That's probably why I was very nervous today on the field, because I want a lot. But, what can I say, I hope you felt good,” concluded Ruse, addressing Cristian.

“It was a nice experience,” joked the world number 35, after which he approved of Ruse who said “We need to laugh after worse days“.

Jaqueline Cristian: “It really felt good to put all my nerves on that ball”

Jaqueline Cristian, defeated in 55 minutes by Daria Snigur/Photo: Imago Images

Then followed a question and answer session with Ruse and Cristian, which we will present in full.

– Gabi, you said you're waiting for the doubles semifinal at the Transylvania Open? Does this mean you skip the Doha qualifiers?
Gabriela Ruse: Yes, I will skip the qualifications in Doha. First of all because I feel quite tired. And, secondly, because we have the opportunity to play only twice in our country, and I think it's worth the effort. I think that's enough tournaments for me. I've played quite a bit from Australia. And I need some recovery time after that whole Australian tour.
Jaqueline Cristian: A period of a week, not even.

– Jacqueline…
JC: No, no!

– How was the doubles match?
JC: Very good! It really felt good to put all my nerves on that ball and Gabi helped me. Like she said, I think it was one of our best matches, honestly, that we've played together. Mixed feelings. Well, he grabbed her. I was coming with the luggage from the back. But I really handled the situation well and I think that's the most important thing. Tomorrow we have a new day where we can wake up nice in the morning and have good thoughts.

– How hard is it to recover from a singles loss for a doubles match?
JC: Honestly, I don't know, that's what my mom used to tell me, that before the doubles match I was in a deplorable state and I pulled myself to go on the court and focus on the current match. The fact that I'm playing with Gabi made it a little easier because automatically when you have good energy on the court, you kind of forget what's going on. And I actually tried to focus only on the ball and give myself a chance to finish this “wonderful” day with a better feeling on the field.

Gabriela Ruse, about Jaqueline Cristian: “It's harder for her because she didn't… win a game”

– You exited the singles competition earlier than you wanted. How much does it help that you have each other and play doubles together?
JC: It helps us because automatically we want to win this tournament. We feel good on the field, we are healthy. We enjoy the atmosphere we have all the time in Cluj, when we play in front of the public. That's exactly what we're going to do tomorrow and God help, and the day after. The fact that I finished the singles matches a bit too quickly, of course that's theoretically a good thing for the doubles matches. Effectively, we take it ball by ball and try to enjoy the experience itself.
GR: We didn't want to get out of singles so quickly. But that's tennis and I think we have a chance. At least I feel extra motivated at the moment because I lost so quickly in singles, especially since I was in really good shape. And I still am. It's just that, yes, you're very frustrated when you see your opponent play great and the next day they drop below 50%. But I guess that's the beauty of tennis in the end.
JC: How beautiful!
GR: I try to take the glass half full.
JC: Leave it, Leave it, it's ok. We hit the ball at doubles, yell “come on” and do the best we can at the moment.
GR: It's not easy. It's harder for her that she doesn't…
JC: That no…
GR: …took a range. It's from love, he knows it's from love. Okay, it doesn't make any difference when you lose.
JC: The match is lost regardless, so…
GR: That's right. I was just trying to make fun of trouble.

– Romanians are the best at making fun of trouble. So, Gabi, how was the music in the hall today?
GR: I want to tell you that I have prepared a special playlist for this tour. So those who are in charge of the tour playlist, please contact me.

Gabriela Ruse, eliminated in the inaugural round of the Transylvania Open/Photo: Imago Images

Jaqueline Cristian, about the semi-final: “We will do everything possible to make a good match”

– Jaqueline, how long does it take you to recover from such a painful singles defeat?
JC: Well, didn't you see? It didn't even take us an hour.

– But if it wasn't for the doubles match, what would you have done? Would you have eaten a chocolate like Simona?
GR: I think more
JC: I think more, yes

– What do you know about your semi-final opponents? They have been playing doubles since 2024.
GR: Yes, it will be a very difficult match. I mean we expect a tough match.
JC: Okay, one of them also plays singles. We'll also see how her match goes. But, clearly, they are a welded team, they are a team with a lot of experience behind them, a lot of chemistry between them automatically. So, we clearly expect it to be a tough match, but we also know each other very well, we're at home, we're motivated, we don't have anything easy, so we're going to be ready, with energy and we're going to do our best to make the best match possible and win.
GR: God help!
JC: With a capital “A”!