Sorana Cîrstea qualified for the round of 16 in Rome on Saturday, at the WTA 1000 Masters tournament, after a remarkable victory against the WTA world leader Aryna Sabalenka.
It was a match to remember, ending after about 3 hours, with a score of 2-6, 6-3, 7-5.
Sorana Cîrstea (36 years old, 27th WTA) secured a check worth 79,510 euros. Her next opponent will be Linda Noskova (21 years old, 13th WTA) on Monday. The round of 16 match will be played around 12:00, Romanian time.
The prize money is higher this year in Rome, considering that in 2025 players received 66,110 euros for reaching this stage, 20% less.
If she also eliminates the young Czech player, the athlete born in Târgoviște will reach a total prize of 150,000 euros in Rome.
The winner of the Rome tournament will receive 1,055,285 euros. Sorana promised, at the end of the match against Sabalenka, that she will not retire at the end of this year if she wins the trophy at Foro Italico.