After the singles victory, Jaqueline Cristian was eliminated from the doubles competition at Indian Wells! Who are Gabriela Ruse and Sorana Cîrstea playing with?
Article by David Istrate – Published on Friday, 06 March 2026, 09:33 / Updated on Friday, 06 March 2026 09:34
16 hours after the remarkable victory in the inaugural round of the singles competitionJaqueline Cristian (27 years old, 35 WTA) returned to the Indian Wells courts and made her debut in the doubles competition. The Romanian paired with Clara Tauson (23 years old, 17 WTA), and the two were defeated 6-2, 7-6 (6) by Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini, the main favorites for the title.
On Thursday, March 5, around 7 am in Romania, Jaqueline Cristian won a two-hour and 46-minute match against Indonesian Janice Tjen (23 years old, 39 WTA), score 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (6), after coming back from 0-3 down in the deciding set.
Jaqueline Cristian and Clara Tauson, eliminated by the main favorites for the title
16 hours later, the 27-year-old athlete returned to the field, accompanied by Clara Tauson, and the two tried to surprise the Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini. The first set was dominated by the number 1 favorites who prevailed 6-2, taking advantage of the fact that Jaqueline and Clara are not used to playing together.
But, in the second sequence, the Romanian-Danish pair played better and caused problems for their opponents. In the end, Errani and Paolini showed their experience and won 6-2, 7-6 (6), advancing to the round of 16 of Indian Wells.
Therefore, Jaqueline Cristian remains engaged only in the singles competitionwhere, in the second round, she will meet the Australian Maya Joint (19 years old, 29 WTA), who enters the tournament directly from this phase.
Gabriela Ruse teams up with Emma Răducanu, while Sorana Cîrstea plays alongside Belinda Bencic
Interestingly, after playing together in the semifinals of the doubles tournament in Dubai, Jaqueline Cristian and Gabriela Ruse (28 years old, 74 WTA) did not keep the same team in California.
The 28-year-old tennis player, eliminated in singles by Ajla Tomljanovic, will play in doubles alongside Emma Răducanu (23 years old, 24 WTA). On Friday night, the two best friends will face the number 3 favorites for the title, namely Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova.
Sorana Cîrstea (35 years old, 38 WTA), Romania's third representative at Indian Wells, will also play in doubles, pairing with Belinda Bencic (28 years old, 12 WTA). Tonight, the two will meet the Chinese Yifan Xu and Zhaoxuan Yang and, in case of success, they will play in the “eights” with Errani and Paolini.
Before the doubles match, Cîrstea will play in the second round in singles, against Diana Shnaider (21 years old, 20 WTA). In the inaugural round, the winner of the Transylvania Open got past Tatjana Maria 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
