Weary Emma Raducanu suffers heavy defeat in first final since 2021

Raducanu is scheduled to play the first WTA 1000 of the season in Qatar which gets under way tomorrow.

The Briton has been drawn against Colombia’s Camila Osorio in the first round.

Hopefully she can play following her good run here in Cluj-Napoca.

Raducanu is showing the effects of playing five matches in a week for the first time in five years. As soon as she became embroiled in a third set against Oleksandra Oliynykova on Friday, her prospects of lifting this title took a significant hit.

Cirstea may be 12 years older but she also burned through her semi-final in 56 minutes, while Raducanu was on court for two hours and 48. She’s been moving like a woman in a weighted jacket, and any rally that goes past 10 shots is heading Cirstea’s way.

Cirstea wins the opening point on serve before Raducanu levels at 15-15 with a backhand volley winner. At 30-15, Raducanu takes a second serve early to get on the front foot before seeing a Cirstea forehand clip the back of the baseline.

The Romanian then throws down a double fault to move the score to deuce. Raducanu, who looked in control of the rally, sees a forehand fly wide before Cirstea holds to move ahead in the second set.

Another slow start from Raducanu sees the Briton fall 0-30 behind before getting on the board at 15-30. A nice serve-plus-one play gets Raducanu to 30-30 but another double-fault gives Cirstea break point. The Briton saves it after drawing an error from Cirstea but the Romanian shows great footspeed as she wins the next point with a backhand volley.

After an extended rally, Raducanu sees a forehand go long as Cirstea continues to tear through these games.

Raducanu, serving to stay in the first set, wins the opening point. The Briton then goes long with a forehand down the line and then sees Cirstea net a backhand return to move 30-15 ahead. Another good spot serve gets Raducanu to 40-15 before Cirstea crushes a backhand return for a clean winner off a second serve.

The Briton double-faults to concede the first set 6-0.

Following the theme of the opening set, Cirstea wins the opening two points on serve before a volley from the Romanian finds the net. Raducanu then goes long with a forehand to give Cirstea two game points and the Romanian seals the game.

Raducanu is 5-0 down in the first set for the second time this week.

Good passing shot from Raducanu sees the Briton register the first point on Cirstea’s serve. The Romanian then throws down a strong T-serve to get to 15-15 and then a good serve out wide to move to 30-15. Raducanu goes long from the baseline to give Cirstea two game points. Raducanu saves the first and the second as she goes aggressive on the return.

A forehand error from Raducanu gives Cirstea advantage and the Romanian holds to move 3-0 ahead.

Carrying on from where she left off in the opening game, Cirstea gets to 0-40 on Raducanu’s serve. The Romanian then sees a backhand return land in the tramlines, as Raducanu gets on the board for the first time.

Raducanu then moves the score to deuce after a couple of good spot serves. A netted backhand gives Cirstea advantage. Raducanu saves it after hanging in a long rally. Cirstea then comes out on top following another extended baseline exchange.

Cirstea breaks as Raducanu goes wide with a forehand.

Good afternoon and welcome to coverage of the Transylvania Open final featuring top seed Emma Raducanu and third seed Sorana Cirstea.

Raducanu is contesting her first final since 2021, when she made that fairytale run to the championship match and US Open title after coming through qualifying.

The British No 1 has played some great tennis this week, coming back from a 5-0 deficit against Kaja Juvan in the second round and making lightwork of Greet Minnen and Maja Chwalinska in between. In her semi-final, Raducanu dropped her first set of the week against Oleksandra Oliynykova, coming through 7-5, 3-6, 6-3.

The British No 1 was pleased with how she fought through in the three-set tussle: “I’m most proud of how I competed, came back in the third set, I don’t know if I could’ve done it without everyone’s support,” she said during her on court interview afterwards. “I really feel like I’m at home here, thank you so much everyone.”

Her opponent Cirstea is a home favourite who Raducanu has met once before – at Wimbledon in 2021 where Raducanu came out on top in straight sets. Cirstea, 35, will be retiring at the end of this season and will be looking to make happy memories at her home tournament.

Over in the Czech Republic, British No 4 Katie Boulter is taking on world No 124 Tamara Korpatsch in the Ostrava Open final.

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