Strasbourg, (Asian independent) Romania’s Sorana Cirstea and Czech Republic’s Barbora Krejcikova stormed back from a set down to notch up semi-final victories at the Strasbourg Open on Friday and set up a clash for the title.
Cirstea overcame No.8 seed Magda Linette of Poland, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, as the Romanian aims to collect her second title of the season on Saturday.
World No.61 Cirstea earned her second career WTA singles title — her first in almost 13 years — in Istanbul last month.
No.5 seed Krejcikova joined her in the final, after the Czech ended the breakthrough run of German qualifier Jule Niemeier, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4.
World No.38 Krejcikova is also into her second final of the season, following her runner-up finish in Dubai, but she is still seeking her first-ever WTA singles title.
Cirstea is now the second Romanian to reach the Strasbourg final, following in the footsteps of former Top 10 player Irina Spirlea, who won the title in 1998. It continues a resurgent year for Cirstea, who has already won 14 matches in 2021 after going 4-8 at tour-level last year.
