Tennis fans and commentators are paying tribute to Sorana Cirstea after the Romanian veteran played her final match at the French Open before she retires. Cirstea went down 0-6 3-6 in just 57 minutes against Mirra Andreeva in the quarter-finals on Tuesday night.
It marked the end of Cirstea’s 19-year career at Roland Garros after she announced earlier this year that 2026 will be her final year. The 36-year-old enjoyed one of her finest performances at a grand slam this past week.
Sorana Cirstea (centre) joined Stan Wawrinka (L) and Gael Monfils (R) in playing her final match at the French Open. Image: Getty
The quarter-final berth was just the third time in her career that she reached the last eight of a major, after the French Open in 2009 and US Open in 2023. She’s won over $15 million in prize money throughout her career, with four titles on the WTA tour and a career-high ranking of World No.18 (her current mark).
Remarkably, she’s enjoying one of the best years of her career and is pushing for a berth at the year-ending WTA Finals. But when asked after her loss to Andreeva whether she’s reconsidering retirement, she said she won’t be backflipping.
Sorana Cirstea bids farewell to Roland Garros.
(DeFodi Images)
“I’m sticking to my decision,” she said. “Nothing changed in my mind. I’m just very grateful how the year is going and the way I’m playing. Overall, it was a very solid tournament.
“I think the longevity of my career is one of the things I’m most proud of. I never expected I would play above age 30 to be honest. I never thought I will have such a long career.
“Also the way I fought, the way I evolved as a player but also as a person, through the years, through tennis. This sport has taught me so much. I’m just very very blessed and very grateful. These are things I’ll take with me for the rest of my life. No matter which area I go after my tennis career, I’ll always cherish this sport and stay close to it.”
Third player’s career at French Open comes to end
Cirstea became the third player to play their final French Open match at this year’s tournament. Stan Wawrinka and Gael Monfils are joining her in retirement at season’s end, and both farewelled Roland Garros with losses in the first round last week.
Elsewhere on Tuesday night, Marta Kostyuk set up a semi-final showdown with Andreeva after beating fellow Ukrainian Elina Svitolina 6-3 2-6 6-2. In the men’s draw, Alexander Zverev and Jakub Mensik advanced to a semi-final clash by beating Rafael Jodar and Joao Fonseca respectively.