Romanian tennis player Sorana Cirstea advanced to the third round at Wimbledon on Thursday, July 2, 2026, after defeating Australia's Kimberly Birrell 6-3, 6-4 in a match lasting one hour and 12 minutes.
Cirstea, ranked 18th in the WTA standings, replicated her best career performance on the London grass courts and secured a prize of €214,421.
She is now the only remaining Romanian competitor in the singles tournament following the first-round eliminations of Irina Begu and Gabriela Ruse.
The 36-year-old previously opened her Wimbledon campaign with a 6-1, 7-6 (6) victory over Czech player Sara Bejlek.
Cirstea on Her Strict Tournament Routine
After her opening match, Cirstea shared insights regarding her strict tournament routine and dietary discipline. "I try to eat little sugar.
Of course I ate the strawberries here from time to time, but I want to stay as far away from sugar as possible during the tournament," she said.
Reflecting on the match against left-handed Bejlek, Cirstea expressed satisfaction with her baseline dominance despite serving difficulties in the second set.
"I think I started well, I played a very solid first set. Then I could have finished in two sets, 6-1, 6-4.
I served at 5-4 to close the match, but I lost my serve," she said.
"It's never easy to play a left-hander, especially on grass. The ball stays low.
She serves with a lot of spin. But I think, overall, I dominated both diagonals and I think that showed," Cirstea added.
Technical Adjustments on Grass
Following her victory against Birrell, whom she had previously beaten at Indian Wells in 2023, Cirstea analyzed the technical adjustments required on grass.
"It was a good match until the set and 5-4. There I got a little tangled up by myself.
But I'm glad I finished in two sets," she said.
"She is a player who opens up in the back and that gives you the chance to come into the court.
I hit many drop shots and that's how I could either close the point or come forward," Cirstea explained.
Discussing court conditions, she noted, "At Wimbledon, things start to change the moment it rains. The grass is wet and everything is much faster.
Otherwise, it didn't feel very different from a tennis perspective compared to the past days."
"It is an atypical surface, on which I did not grow up, like most players. The values equalize.
Not everything depends only on you, but also on what the opponent does," she added.
Cirstea will face either world No. 12 Linda Noskova or Camila Osorio in the third round as she pursues her first career qualification into the second week of Wimbledon.
