Romanian tennis player Sorana Cirstea qualified on Wednesday for the round of 16 at the WTA 500 tournament in Seoul (South Korea), which offers total prize money of USD 1,064,510, after defeating Russian Anastasia Zakharova 6-3, 6-1.
Cirstea (aged 35, WTA's 66th) needed just 65 minutes of actual play to overcome her opponent, who had entered the main draw as a 'lucky loser.' The match was originally scheduled for Tuesday but was postponed due to rain. On Wednesday, play was further delayed for several hours at 2-2.
The Romanian had recently beaten Zakharova (aged 23, WTA's 79th) in the semi-finals in Cleveland, where she went on to win the title.
Cirstea has secured a cheque for USD 15,700 and 60 WTA points. In the round of 16, she will face Poland's Iga Swiatek, the top seed and world number two.
Swiatek (aged 24) has won all five of their previous meetings, the most recent being in the round of 16 in Cincinnati (6-4, 6-3).
Also on Wednesday, Jaqueline Cristian is due to face British player of Romanian origin, Emma Raducanu, the eighth seed, in the first round.
Irina Begu won the title in Seoul in 2015, while Monica Niculescu was a finalist in 2016.
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