Article by Maria Olteanu – Published Monday, May 11, 2026, 8:28 p.m. / Updated Monday, May 11, 2026, 8:29 p.m.
The organizers of the WTA 1000 Rome announced on Monday evening the schedule for Tuesday, May 12, when Sorana Cîrstea (36 years old, 27 WTA) returns to the court, who will fight for a place in the semifinals of the Foro Italico competition with Jelena Ostapenko (28 years old, 36 WTA).
Sorana Cîrstea opened Monday at the Foro Italico, on the central court, so she was scheduled on Tuesday with no day off, given that she had more hours of rest than the players who performed in the evening session.
Our player will be back on the field on Tuesday at noon, no earlier than 13:00 local time, 14:00 Romanian time, in the second match of the day on the central pitch in Rome.
The dispute at the end of which our player could get the tickets for the penultimate act of the competition in the Italian capital will be broadcast in liveTEXT format on GSP.ro and on TV on Digi Sport 2.
Sorana Cîrstea, match 2 on the central court in Rome on Tuesday
The organizers decided to put Sorana on the center field in Rome, just as it happened in Monday's match, in the round of 16.
The Romanian will have the second match of the day's session, no earlier than 14:00, given that a match from the men's draw will be played before that. Tuesday on the central field will be opened with the Lorenzo Musetti – Casper Ruud duel, from 12:00, Romanian time.
At the end of this game, depending on how long it will last, our player will also enter the field, who will fight for a place in the semifinals.
Sorana, victorious in the last direct match
The two players last met on January 6, when Sorana prevailed in straight sets in the second round in Brisbane, score 6-2, 7-6. Jelena Ostapenko is an old acquaintance of Romanian players. The Latvian defeated Simona Halep in the Roland Garros 2017 final, score 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Jelena Ostapenko, Sorana's future opponent, got past Anna Kalinskaya in the third round in Rome. So far, the two players have met seven times in the circuit, and the Latvian has a positive record: four victories for her, three for the Romanian.
The only match in 2026 was earlier in the year in Brisbane, won by Sorana. The two met only once in 2025, when Cîrstea defeated Ostapenko, score 6-0, 2-1 (the Latvian retired then). Jelena's most recent win was at Adelaide 2024, 6-2, 2-6, 4-6.
In the semi-finals, the winner of the quarter-final Cîrstea – Ostapenko will duel with the winner of the Coco Gauff – Mirra Andreeva match.
