“Cirstea is a f*king b*tch”- Jasmine Paolini seals a spot in Dubai Open finals as Sorana Cirstea brutally bashed by fans for terrible performance
The Romanian defends well to save a match point against the Italian but fails to convert her chances in the second set tiebreaker.
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Sorana Cirstea (image via IMAGO)
World No. 22 Sorana Cirstea has turned the semi-finals of the 2024 Dubai Championships on its head. Up against World No. 26 Jasmine Paolini, the Romanian lost 2-6 in the first set with the Italian all over her.
The second set was better contested between the two, as the two players looked difficult to separate. The Italian came within touching distance of the finishing line as she held a crucial serve to make it 5-4 in her favor. Cirstea, however, had the advantage of being on the serve in hopes of saving the game.
But things didn’t go her way as Paolini came clutch and came on the match point after winning the point at 40-40. The Romanian served the ball on the Italian’s backhand as the two players started a nervous rally between them. Precise backhands and forehands were on display as the two put everything on the line.
Paolini hit a backhand from the center of the court, which opened a window of opportunity for Cirstea, who was well-positioned. She unleashed her backhand to hit an inch-perfect winner down the line to Paolini’s right, which was in no way possible for her to get her racket on, thus conceding her match point.
Jasmine Paolini survives despite a late surge by Sorana Cirstea
Despite conceding her match point and having the proceedings tied at 5-5, Paolini kept her composure. She lost her serve to go down 6-5 but broke back to force a tiebreaker. The 28-year-old had to save a whopping six set points after Cirstea found confidence.
But she kept her nerves in control to reach her maiden career final outside the WTA-250 level. As a result, she will now break into the Top 20 for the first time in her career, as her previous best was World No. 24. This win also makes her head-to-head 3-0 against the Romanian.
Cirstea faced the heat from fans for blowing her chances and robbing them of what could have been an exciting third set in the Dubai Championships.
Sharing a wide spectrum of actions online, here’s what fans have to say:
Paolini will now take on the winner in the second semi-final, which will be contested between top seed Iga Swiatek and in-form qualifier Anna Kalinskaya.
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Sarthak Shitole
(3462 Articles Published)