Sorana Cirstea has some thinking to do after getting the better of Aryna Sabalenka at the Italian Open.
Cirstea, who has been part of the WTA Tour since 2006, announced in December that 2026 would be her last year on tour.
Back in July, she was ranked outside the top 160. Now, after picking up her fourth WTA title and defeating Sabalenka, she’s nearing a top-20 debut at age 36.
After joking about a possible comeback following her win over Sabalenka, Cirstea has now addressed comments from Sabalenka suggesting she should seriously think about it.
Sorana Cirstea shares her thoughts on not retiring
After the match, Sabalenka told reporters that she thought Cirstea should stick around a bit longer.
When those remarks were put to her during her own media duties, Cirstea didn’t rule out the idea, saying there’s always a chance.
“Yeah, of course this is the question that I’m getting every week (smiling),” said Cirstea. “At the moment not much is changing. Of course, it’s a wonderful victory, but it’s still a third round. I have to keep going.
“I know the level is there. I know my mind is here and I’m enjoying everything. Like I said, I have so many goals. Every time I step on the court I want to improve.
“In the same time my mind is quite set that at the end of the year, I want to retire. We will see how this year will go.
“Like a little door is there always open because you never know how things go in life. You always plan things, but then it doesn’t always happen like you plan. We will see what life has to offer for me.”
Sorana Cirstea vs Linda Noskova head-to-head
Cirstea has already matched her best result at the Italian Open by reaching the fourth round, and she will now look to keep her momentum going.
Linda Noskova stands between Cirstea and her first-ever quarter-final appearance in Rome. They’ve already met three times this season, making this a familiar matchup.
Cirstea leads their 2024 meetings 2-1, but overall, the head-to-head is even at two wins each.
This will also be the first time they face each other on clay, with all their previous meetings taking place on hard courts.
Noskova had a slow start to 2024 but is coming off an impressive run to the quarterfinals in Madrid. She’s already taken out Katerina Siniakova and Sloane Stephens earlier in Rome, so Cirstea will have to be at her best again.
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