Coco Gauff vs. Sorana Cirstea
“It was a lot,” Gauff said after one of his wins earlier this week.
That’s a pretty fair description of his entire experience in Rome so far. Last year’s runner-up has survived three three-set epics, against Solana Sierra, Iva Jovic and Mirra Andreeva. In the first two they recovered from the brink of defeat; in the third, he held off a furious late run by his opponent. Despite everything, Gauff has said that she has been dealing with a personal problem that has made it much more difficult than usual for her to “compartmentalize” her life.
Cirstea, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to have a care in the world right now. The 36-year-old, who will retire at the end of 2026, is 27-7 so far this year and has been enjoying a dream career in Rome. She upset top seed Aryna Sabalenka in the third round, and followed up with straight-set wins over two stronger opponents, Linda Noskova and Jelena Ostapenko.
“I’m enjoying every week,” says Cirstea about her latest tour. “I come from a place where I really have no pressure.”