The curtains have closed on the 2026 Transylvania Open in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, and what a week it was for tennis fans and players alike. The tournament, held at the BT Arena from February 1 through February 7, delivered its fair share of drama, upsets, and emotional moments—culminating in a resounding victory for local favorite Sorana Cirstea over Britain’s Emma Raducanu in the final.
This year’s edition was especially poignant, as it marked the last home appearance for Cirstea, the 35-year-old Romanian veteran who’s now in her twentieth—and final—season on the WTA Tour. The anticipation was high, with top-seeded Emma Raducanu looking for her first title since her fairy-tale US Open run in 2021, and other crowd-pullers like Donna Vekic, Jaqueline Cristian, Wang Xinyu, and Karolina Pliskova in the mix. Defending champion Anastasia Potapova, who bested Lucia Bronzetti in last year’s final, was also back to chase more Eastern European glory.
Emma Raducanu, whose Romanian heritage made her a sentimental favorite among the Cluj-Napoca crowd, was riding a wave of hope despite a rocky start to her season. After an early exit at the Australian Open and a split with coach Francis Roig in January, the British number one arrived in Romania seeking both form and confidence. The Transylvania Open was a chance to reset, and Raducanu did not disappoint in the early rounds, dispatching Greet Minnen, Kaja Juvan, and Maya Chwalinska with powerful, composed tennis.
But the road to the final was anything but smooth. In the semi-final, Raducanu found herself locked in a nearly three-hour battle with Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova. She eventually prevailed 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, but the physical and mental toll was clear. According to BBC Sport, Raducanu admitted after the final, “I’ve already been battling a bit of a chest infection, but that [semi-final] match took it out of me extra. So today, I was pretty gassed from the start.”
Meanwhile, Sorana Cirstea was quietly building momentum. The Romanian, seeded third, breezed through her half of the draw, overcoming Tamara Zidansek, Kamilla Rakhimova, defending champion Anastasia Potapova, and Daria Snigur with a mix of power and precision. Her quarter-final win over Potapova was particularly impressive, as she fought back from a set down to win 7-5, 6-4, dashing the predictions of TennisUpToDate.com editors who had tipped Potapova, Wang, or Cristian as likely winners.
When the final arrived on February 7, the BT Arena was buzzing with anticipation. The home crowd was torn between their affection for Cirstea and their admiration for Raducanu, whose father hails from Bucharest. But any hopes of a tight contest quickly faded. Cirstea came out firing, breaking Raducanu early and racing through the first set 6-0 in just 29 minutes. Raducanu, visibly fatigued, struggled to find her rhythm and called for medical attention after leveling the second set at 2-2, her blood pressure checked as she slumped in her chair. Still, she soldiered on, drawing on the support of a crowd that had “made me feel at home this week,” as she later told Sky Sports.
Cirstea, though, was relentless. Sensing her opponent’s vulnerability, she pressed her advantage, winning the next four games to close out the match 6-0, 6-2 in a brisk one hour and three minutes. The victory marked Cirstea’s fourth WTA Tour title and was especially sweet, coming in front of her home fans in what is likely her final appearance in Cluj-Napoca. “I want to thank the public. You really made me feel at home this week. Sorry today I couldn’t bring my best. But congratulations as well to Sorana—you’ve had an incredible week. I think you’re playing great tennis. I don’t know if this is your last tournament in Cluj here, but I know if it was me I’d be out on a high. Congrats for everything,” Raducanu said during the trophy ceremony.
Despite her disappointment, Raducanu remained upbeat about her progress. “Honestly, it’s been a while since I’ve given one of these speeches. I want to thank [coach] Alexis [Canter] and the people back home who’ve supported me throughout the last few years. It’s been like four or five years since my last final. It means a lot. I’m really happy it’s here in Cluj,” she reflected. She also acknowledged the difficulty of playing four matches in a week, something she’s not used to, but called her run to the final “a step in the right direction.”
For Cirstea, this triumph was a fitting homecoming. Her aggressive play and composure under pressure were hallmarks of her run, and she showed the kind of form that has sustained her through two decades on tour. The Romanian’s ability to capitalize on Raducanu’s struggles was clear, but it was her own determination and crowd-inspired energy that truly set her apart this week. In the words of commentator Jonathan Overend on Sky Sports Tennis, “For Emma Raducanu, it was a day to forget! A really tough semi-final of two hours and 48 minutes meant she had very little offer today. Some of her best tennis was when she was losing games. It looked like she knew the way she had to play today but there was too much power coming at her from Cirstea and she just wasn’t able to get on the board.”
Looking ahead, Raducanu’s focus shifts to the WTA 1000 tournament in Qatar, where she’s set to face Colombia’s Camila Osorio in the first round on February 9. The British star continues to search for consistency and fitness after a string of injuries and frequent coaching changes—Francis Roig, her ninth coach since 2021, parted ways with her after the Australian Open. Miles Maclagan, former coach of Laura Robson and Andy Murray, offered perspective: “There have been so many injuries, so much chopping and changing of coaches, a little bit of consistency and belief. You need to put those matches in the bank to start to trust your body, to trust your decision-making in tougher circumstances so when the dust settles, there will be positives.”
Elsewhere on the tour, Katie Boulter gave British tennis fans something to cheer about, capturing her fourth WTA title at the Ostrava Open with a comeback win over Tamara Korpatsch. But in Cluj-Napoca, it was all about Sorana Cirstea’s fairy-tale finish and Emma Raducanu’s valiant, if ultimately unsuccessful, quest for a return to the winner’s circle.
As the tennis caravan moves on to the Middle East, the Transylvania Open leaves behind memories of a champion’s last hurrah and a young star’s enduring pursuit of greatness. For Cirstea, the home crowd’s roar will echo long after the final ball has been struck. For Raducanu, the journey continues—one hard-fought match at a time.