Simona Halep, Sorana Cirstea and Irina Begu are among the 10-strong Romanian lineup for the 5th edition of the WTA 250 Transylvania Open which will take place between February 1 - 9 at the BTarena in Cluj-Napoca, the organizers said in a release on Wednesday.
"Really eye-catching for Romanian tennis fans is the presence of Romanian players, among whom we mention Simona Halep, the most beloved tennis player in Romania. The main draw already includes two high-ranking Romanians: Sorana Cirstea (WTA's 72nd) - currently the highest ranked Romanian player, who might compete in her last home tournament in Cluj, and Irina-Camelia Begu (WTA's 83rd) - a constant presence in the WTA circuit and a highly seasoned player," the cited source said.
Transylvania Open director Patrick Ciorcila said that Simona Halep will receive a wild card.
"We have a total of 10 Romanian players registered for this edition and, most likely, we will see six of them on the main draw! Two are direct qualifiers, and Simona Halep - the most beloved figure in Romanian tennis and a dear friend of ours - will receive a wild card. We are extremely excited to see her on the court again. Simona played in the final of the first edition of our tournament. Unfortunately, the pandemic rules did not allow the public to be present in the hall back then. Therefore, this year will be the first time that we will be able to enjoy her presence and game together, live. This is set to be a competitive and extremely strong tournament, with players from the world's top 90 on the main draw. Of course, last minute changes may occur that are out of our control, but we already have clear signs that this edition will be one of the strongest so far. We look forward to seeing the fans in the stands and experiencing the special tennis game atmosphere in the BTarena," Ciorcila said.
The list of 10 Romanian players registered for the singles event of the Transylvania Open 2025 includes other names that are already staples of this tournament, such as Jaqueline Cristian, Gabriela Ruse, Miriam Bulgaru and Ana Bogdan - the finalist of the previous edition. The tournament's main draw will include 4 wild cards and two qualifications for Romanian players registered for the tournament, but who do not have direct access to the main draw or the qualifiers.
"The largest women's tennis tournament in Romania announces an extremely competitive fifth edition. Headlining the list is Anastasia Potapova (WTA 35th place), a player with an impressive rise. Potapova achieved her best result at a Grand Slam competition, reaching the round of 16 at Roland Garros. She also made it to the Birmingham and Cleveland semifinals, thus marking a solid season. In 2023, Potapova claimed the second WTA title of her career, winning the Linz tournament, and her highest ranking was 21st in the world in June 2023," the organizers' release also states.
The WTA 250 Transylvania Open main draw is as follows:
1. Anastasia Potapova (Russia, ranked 35th)
2. Clara Tauson (Denmark, 41st)
3. Katerina Siniakova (Czech Republic, 46th)
4. Peyton Stearns (U.S.A., 47th)
5. Anhelina Kalinina (Ukraine, 48th)
6. Jessica Bouzas Maneiro (Spain, 52nd)
7. Olga Danilovic (Serbia, 53rd)
8. Elisabetta Cocciaretto (Italy, 55th)
9. Viktoria Tomova (Bulgaria, 56th)
10. Mayar Sherif (Egypt, 65th)
11. Alycia Parks (U.S..A, 68th)
12. Varvara Gracheva (France, 69th)
13. Sorana Cirstea (Romania, 72nd)
14. Julia Grabher (Austria, 73rd)
15. Arantxa Rus (Netherlands, 74th)
16. Anna Blinkova (Russia, 75th)
17. Lucia Bronzetti (Italy, 78th)
18. Laura Siegemund (Germany, 79th)
19. Suzan Lamens (Netherlands, 80th)
20. Caroline Dolehide (U.S.A., 82nd)
21. Irina-Camelia Begu (Romania, 83rd)
The first two days of the tournament (February 1 and 2) are dedicated to qualifiers, with 12 matches scheduled on the first day and 6 on the second. The draw for the main singles will take place on Saturday, February 1.
The tournament finals will take place on Sunday, February 9, with the doubles event starting at 2:30 p.m., and the singles final no earlier than 5:00 p.m.
The matches are played indoors, on two hard courts. In total, 32 players compete in singles matches, and 16 teams in doubles, for 250 WTA points and prizes worth a total of $275,094.
Access to the qualifying matches is free, based on a 0-value ticket which will be available online two weeks before the start of the tournament. A novelty at the 2025 edition is the introduction of half-day tickets valid for evening sessions, Monday through Thursday, starting at 5:00 p.m. For the final stages - quarterfinals, semifinals and the final - only full-day tickets will be available, with prices reaching RON 145 for the February 9 final. Tickets can be purchased online at transylvaniaopen.ro.
For two years in a row (2022, 2023) Transylvania Open was voted by the players the world's best WTA 250 tournament.
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