Sorona Cirstea finally broke her silence on her FALLOUT with Jelena Ostapenko as their cold exchange at Wimbledon goes viral

The former doubles partners, Cirstea and Ostapenko, showcase a rift between them after a cold handshake.

Sorona Cirstea finally broke her silence on her FALLOUT with Jelena Ostapenko as their cold exchange at Wimbledon goes viral

Sorona Cirstea and Jelena Ostapenko (Image via: Twitter /sorana_cirstea and The Indian Express)

The former doubles partners, Sorona Cirstea and Jelena Ostapenko had an awkward handshake after the Romanian defeated the Latvian in a three-set encounter. With that being said, rumors of a rift between the two tennis professionals have been surfacing for some time now.

The video of their encounter in the Wimbledon 2023 second round confirms that the relationship between them has broken down. The two professionals were good friends some years ago as they used to hang out sometimes and even enjoy vacations together. But now, it seems like the friendship has changed over the last few years.

YouTube video

Earlier, before the match, Sorona Cirstea had also denied her friendship with the Latvian. The Romanian had some strong words to clarify the relationship between them, she said, “I would like to let me clarify this matter: we are colleagues, friend, we are not good friends to go out to dinner or tell each other confidences. We are simply colleagues.”

The two tennis professionals must have had a fallout in the last 2 or 3 years.

Related: Jelena Ostapenko pays tribute to idol Serena Williams after knocking out elder sister Venus

Sorona Cirstea vs. Jelena Ostapenko post-match analysis

Sorona Cirstea
Credits: Wikimedia Commons

Sorona Cirstea defeated Jelena Ostapenko in the second round match with a scoreline of 4-6, 7-6, 6-4. The match had some great moments as all three sets were fought very hard by both tennis professionals in what was their first encounter on grass.

The Latvian took the first set 4-6 and continued her performance in the second set as well. The second set went to the tiebreaker. Cirstea led 4-1 in the tiebreaker, but her lead was overcome by Jelena as the tiebreaker at one stage reached 6-6. The world no. 17 couldn’t hold her nerve to win in straight sets and lost the tiebreaker 8-6.

The game lasted two hours and 35 minutes, with the experienced Romanian winning the third set 6-4. The world number 37, Cirstea, will face Beatriz Hadad Maia in the third round. Ostapenko will shift her focus to the women’s doubles campaign after her early exit in the singles event.

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