Article by Maria Olteanu – Published on Sunday, 10 May 2026, 20:22 / Updated on Sunday, 10 May 2026 20:35
The organizers of the WTA 1000 Rome announced on Sunday evening the program for Monday, May 11, when Sorana Cîrstea also returns to the field (36 years, 27 WTA), the one who will duel for a place in the quarter-finals of the Foro Italico competition with Linda Noskova (21 years, 13 WTA).
Sorana, who produced the surprise of proportions in the third round, when she eliminated the main favorite, the world leader Aryna Sabalenka (27 years old), will return to the field on Monday at noon, from 11:00 local time, 12:00 Romanian time, in the first match of the day on the central field in Rome.
The match at the end of which our player could get the tickets for the quarter-finals of the Masters competition will be broadcast in liveTEXT format on GSP.ro and on TV on Digi Sport 2.
Sorana Cîrstea opens the day on the center court in Rome
The organizers decided to put Sorana on the center court in Rome. The Romanian will open the day's session, so it is certain that her match will start at 12:00. Next, the match Coco Gauff – Iva Jovic will be played on the same field, and then the game on the men's table, Jannik Sinner – Alexei Popyrin, which ends the day's session.
In the evening session, two other games are scheduled, one for women and one for men.
If she manages to get past Linda Noskova, Sorana Cîrstea will meet the winner of the Jelena Ostapenko – Anna Kalinskaya match in the quarters.
The final match between Ostapenko and Kalinskaya will also be played on Monday, May 11, at the Pietrangeli arena, not before 14:00, Romanian time, being the second match, after one in the men's draw.
Sorana Cîrstea had four more matches with Linda Noskova, the last 3 in 2026
Linda Noskova, Sorana's future opponent, got past Oleksandra Oliynykova (25 years old, 68 WTA) 6-1, 6-3 in the second round in Rome. So far, the two players have met four times in the circuit, and the victories were shared: two for Sorana, two for the Czech.
Three of the four matches were this year, the last in Miami, in March, when Sorana prevailed 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 in the second round.
Fast forward, Noskova won in the third round at Indian Wells, also in a decider, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4.
The first meeting between the two, since 2026, dates back to the second round in Dubai, where Sorana went in a minimum of sets against her 15 years younger opponent, winning 6-1, 6-4.
The first direct meeting between Cîrstea and Noskova took place in Brisbane, in 2024, when the Czech won in three sets, score 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
