Sorana Cirstea produced a massive upset at the Miami Open in the quarter-finals on Wednesday. The Romanian ousted second seed Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 6-4 in an hour and 25 minutes to reach the semi-final. Sabalenka put in 61% of her first-serve points to Cirstea’s 49%.
But the Romanian won 85% of her first-serve points to Sabalenka’s 68%. Both players won around 40% of her second-serve points but Cirstea still fared better than Sabalenka, winning 46% to the latter’s 41%. Both opponents had seven aces each but Sabalenka’s game unravelled with six double faults that were four more than Cirstea’s two.
The second-ranked player in the world had five more winners than Cirstea’s 16. But the eventual winner of the match had 12 fewer unforced errors than Sabalenka’s 21. Cirstea finished the match with 60 points to Sabalenka’s 52.
Miami Open: The uncontrollable emotions of Sorana Cirstea
After the match, the 74th-ranked Cirstea said, “I think I’m a bit speechless. I came out knowing that it’s going to be a really tough match. Aryna hits so hard, so I knew I had to hold my ground, and I’m very, very happy with my performance today.
I guess people like to keep count of the age, the years, the results, but I never do that. I just mind my own business, work hard, do my…
