World quantity two Aryna Sabalenka suffered a shock straight-set defeat as Romania’s Sorana Cirstea earned the most important win of her profession to succeed in the Miami Open semi-finals.
Cirstea, 32, beat the Australian Open champion 6-4 6-4 to document her first win over a top-three ranked opponent.
The unseeded Cirstea will play Petra Kvitova or Ekaterina Alexandrova in her first final 4 look at a WTA Masters 1000 occasion for almost 10 years.
“I am a bit speechless,” she admitted.
Talking in her on-court interview, the world quantity 74 added: “I got here out figuring out it could be a very powerful match. Aryna hits so laborious so I knew I needed to maintain my floor.
“I am very pleased with my efficiency right now. It is a bit surprising to be trustworthy.”
Cirstea, the one unseeded participant to make the final eight of the ladies’s draw, is but to drop a set in a five-match streak in Miami which has additionally seen her get rid of world quantity 4 Caroline Garcia.
She has proven spectacular kind on the Sunshine Double, shedding out to world primary Iga Swiatek in her first Indian Wells quarter-final earlier this month.
Cirstea’s newest assertion success took her to a second WTA 1000 semi-final, having completed runner-up to Serena Williams at Toronto in 2013.
Sabalenka, 24, responded after Cirstea broke serve within the opening sport of each units.
However on each events it was the Belarusian’s opponent who was capable of reset, earlier than managing to beat two break factors as Cirstea served for the match – and inflicted only a third defeat on Sabalenka in 23 matches this 12 months.
Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, ranked seventh, will meet American world quantity three Jessica Pegula within the different semi-final, with a brand new ladies’s champion assured in Miami.
Solely Kazakh Rybakina, with 12 wins, has extra WTA 1000 essential draw matches in 2023 than Cirstea. The Romanian is the primary participant ranked outdoors the highest 50 to win as many as 9 matches on the Sunshine Double in the identical 12 months.
Andreescu confirms harm
Canada’s Bianca Andreescu says she has torn two ligaments in her left ankle after withdrawing from her fourth-round match towards Ekaterina Alexandrova on Monday.
Former US Open champion left the court docket in a wheelchair, in apparent ache after falling through the second set.
“It is powerful to say precisely how lengthy it’s going to take, however let’s simply say it may’ve been a lot worse!” she tweeted.
“I will take it day-by-day and I am optimistic that with the proper work, rehab and preparation I will be again on court docket quickly. Rehab course of has already began and can proceed to offer updates.”
