Sorana Cirstea has a big decision to make after beating Aryna Sabalenka at the Italian Open.
Cirstea has been on the WTA Tour since 2006, and had announced in December last year that 2026 would be her final year as a professional tennis player.
The Romanian was ranked outside the top 160 in July last year, but after Cirstea won her fourth WTA title and beat Sabalenka she is closing in on making her top 20 debut at 36 years old.
Cirstea joked she could come out of retirement after beating Sabalenka, and she has now responded to her opponent’s comments that she should really consider it.
Sorana Cirstea suggests if she is tempted not to retire now
After being beaten by Cirstea 2-6, 6-3, 7-5, Sabalenka suggested that she should keep on playing.
These comments were then relayed to Cirstea in her own press conference, to which she admitted that ‘a little door is there always open’.
“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.”
Is Aryna Sabalenka playing well enough to win the French Open?
She's 4-2 on clay this year…
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.
Standing in the way of Cirstea reaching her first Italian Open quarterfinal is Linda Noskova, who she has already played three times this year.
Cirstea has won two of those three previous matches against Noskova this year, with their overall head-to-head at 2-2.
However, this will be the first time that Cirstea has played Noskova on clay, with all of their other matches on hard courts.
| Year | Tournament | Result |
| 2024 | Brisbane International (R32) | Noskova beat Cirstea, 6-4 4-6 6-4 |
| 2026 | Dubai Tennis Championships (R32) | Cirstea beat Noskova, 6-1 6-4 |
| 2026 | Indian Wells (R32) | Noskova beat Cirstea, 6(5)-7 6-4 6-4 |
| 2026 | Miami Open (R64) | Cirstea beat Noskova, 6-2 3-6 6-4 |
Cirstea may also have her sights set on achieving her new career-high ranking, with her previous best at world number 21.
After winning 25 of her 32 matches so far this year, Cirstea is 26th in the live WTA rankings and 14th in the race to the WTA Finals.
