Perfect night for Romanians at Indian Wells » Sorana Cîrstea and Jaqueline Cristian qualified for the third round

The first to play was Sorana, who had previously beaten Tatjana Maria (38 years old, 59 WTA) in three sets. The opponent in the second round was Diana Shnaider (21 years old, 20 WTA), and the Romanian needed a minimum of sets to qualify for the third round, winning 6-2, 7-6(0).

Then Jaqueline Cristian (27 years old, 35 WTA) entered the court, who needed three sets to advance to the third round at Indian Wells, the last one being dramatic, in which she saved three match points. The opponent was the Australian Maya Joint (19 years old), seed number 29, whom Jaqueline defeated 0-6, 6-2, 7-5.

Sorana Cîrstea, qualification in minimum sets

Sorana Cîrstea qualified for the third round at Indian Wells // photo: Imago

Sorana started the match in the second round with a break in front of Shnaider, which he consolidated in the first part of the set, and then, at 4-1, he made a double break, taking a serious option to win the first set.

Then, the second set was much more balanced. It went head to head, no one made a mistake on their own serve, and the set reached a tie-break, where the Romanian was perfect, not giving her opponent even a point.

Further, in the third round, Sorana will have a difficult task as she will meet Linda Noskova (21 years old, 14 WTA). She reached the 3rd round after winning against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro (50th WTA), score 6-3, 6-3.

So far, Cîrstea and Nosvoka have met twice in the circuit and shared their victories. The first time was at the Brisbane tournament in 2024, where Sorana lost 4-6, 6-4, 4-6.

The second meeting dates back less than a month, from the tournament in Dubai, when Cîrstea prevailed 6-4, 6-1.

Jaqueline Cristian, heart attack final at Indian Wells

A few hours later after Sorana's success, Jaqueline Cristian also returned to the court, who is on the main draw for the second time at Indian Wells, tournament category 1,000.

The first set was without history, 6-0 for the opponent, who cut the situation in just 27 minutes. Later, Jaqueline returned to the match and took over the reins, which she did not relinquish until the end.

In the second set, he broke quickly, right from the start, then he always stayed in front and won 6-2 in the end. The third set also started with a break, the opponent equalized at 4, and the end was dramatic.

At 5-4 for Maya Joint, the opponent also had three match points, all saved by Jaqueline, who tied at 5 and then won the next two games, the set and the match.

Jaqueline Cristian's best result at Indian Wells is reaching the third round last year.

Next, in the 3rd round, Cristian will have a fiery duel against the world leader, Aryna Sabalenka (27 years old).