Romanian tennis players Jaqueline Cristian, Sorana Cirstea and Gabriela Ruse all managed to qualify for the main singles draw of the WTA 500 tournament in Adelaide, Australia, which offers total prize money of 1,206,446 US dollars, following their victories on Sunday in the final round of qualifying.
Jaqueline Cristian (27, WTA's 38th) defeated Austrian-born Russian Anastasia Potapova (24, WTA's 55th) 6-1, 6-3 after one hour and 34 minutes.
Potapova had won both of their previous head-to-head matches, in 2017 in the qualifying rounds at Wesley Chapel, USA, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, and in 2023 in the second round in Madrid, 7-5, 3-6, 6-2.
Cirstea (35, WTA's 41st) prevailed over Uzbekistan's Kamila Rahimova (24, WTA's 91st) 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 after two hours of play. Sorana had also beaten Rahimova in 2022, in the first round in Istanbul, 6-4, 6-1.
Ruse (28, WTA's 85th) overcame Czech player Katerina Siniakova (29, WTA's 47th) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 after one hour and 57 minutes. Siniakova had won both of their previous encounters, in 2020 in the semi-finals in Dubai (ITF), 6-3, 6-7 (2/7), 6-4, and last year in the first round in Prague, 7-5, 6-2.
Each Romanian player secured a cheque for 11,250 dollars and 26 WTA points.
In the first round, Jaqueline Cristian will face Russia's Ekaterina Aleksandrova (31, WTA's 10th), the fourth seed. Aleksandrova won their only previous meeting, in 2025 in the last 16 in Tokyo, 6-1, 6-2.
Cirstea will play against Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska (25, WTA's 27th), who was victorious in their first head-to-head match, in the semi-finals in Lyon in 2022, 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 6-4.
Ruse will take on Russia's Anna Kalinskaya (27, WTA's 33th), whom she defeated in their first encounter, 6-3, 6-0, in 2017 in the first round in Bad Saulgau, Germany.
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