By Tennis Now | Saturday, April 24, 2021
Unseeded Sorana Cirstea won five of the final six games subduing Marta Kostyuk 6-4, 6-4 to set up an Istanbul final vs. top-seeded Elise Mertens.
Photo credit: Tennis Championship Istanbul Facebook
Sorana Cirstea showed closing power in Istanbul.
Unseeded Cirstea won five of the final six games charging past Marta Kostyuk 6-4, 6-4 to set up an Istanbul final vs. top-seeded Elise Mertens.
TN Q&A: Marta Kostyuk
Earlier, Mertens out-dueled her sometime doubles partner Veronika Kudermetova 6-1, 6-4, snapping the Charleston champion's nine-match winning streak.
Australian Open doubles champion Mertens displayed her ball-control skills stretching the third-seeded Russian in running through five consecutive games to snatch the opening set and take a 1-0 lead in the second.
Mertens converted six of 13 break points and won 30 of 44 points played on Kudermetova's second serve in a one hour, 40-minute win.
The 31-year-old Cirstea came back from a break down at 1-3 in the second set with some her of most ambitious drives. Cirstea won 12 of the next 16 points to edge in front 4-3.
Cirstea has not dropped a set in four tournament wins en route to her fifth career final. It comes 13 years after the Romanian won her maiden title in Tashkent defeating Sabine Lisicki in the final.
Cirstea has won both prior meetings vs. Mertens, including a 7-5, 6-4 victory in their last encounter at the 2018 Doha.