Cirstea makes history with 6-0 6-0 win

Sorana Cirstea delivered a historic performance at the French Open by defeating Solana Sierra 6-0, 6-0 to reach the tournament’s fourth round. At 36 years old, Cirstea became the oldest player in the Open era to achieve a ‘double bagel’ victory in a Grand Slam main draw. This win also marks her first advancement beyond the second round at a major since the 2022 US Open and makes her the oldest woman to reach the last 16 at Roland Garros since Serena Williams in 2021. Cirstea, who plans to retire at the end of 2026, is experiencing one of the best phases of her 20-year career. Earlier this month, she reached the semi-finals of the Italian Open, notably defeating world number one Aryna Sabalenka. In her dominant match against 21-year-old Sierra, Cirstea’s opponent failed to reach a single game point. Cirstea attributed her success to consistent discipline and professionalism, emphasizing her ongoing commitment to improvement and setting new goals. She will next face China’s Wang Xiyu, with a win potentially propelling her to the Roland Garros quarter-finals for the first time in 17 years, matching her best Grand Slam performance from the 2022 US Open. In other French Open news, six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek advanced to the fourth round after a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Magda Linette, though she displayed some inconsistency. Swiatek, known as the ‘Queen of Clay’ for her four Roland Garros titles between 2020 and 2024, will face Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk next. Meanwhile, tenth seed Karolina Muchova, the 2023 finalist, was upset by Switzerland’s Jil Teichmann in straight sets. These results highlight the ongoing unpredictability and competitive depth of the women’s draw at this year’s tournament.