Unseeded Cirstea beats Sabalenka to reach Miami Open semi-finals

MIAMI: Unseeded Romanian Sorana Cirstea earned the biggest win of her career with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Australian Open champion and World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka on Wednesday and reached the Miami Open semi-finals. Cirstea, who is yet to drop a set in Miami and is the last unseeded player in the draw, delivered a stunning performance while taking advantage of some untimely double faults to become only the third player to beat Sabalenka this year. With the win, the 32-year-old Cirstea reached her second WTA 1000 semi-final, nearly 10 years after reaching her first. “I am a bit speechless,” said World No.74 Cirstea. “I came out knowing that it was going to be a really tough match. Aryna hits so hard, so I knew I had to hold my ground and I am very, very happy with my performance. It is a bit unexpected to be honest,” added Cirstea. When serving for the match, Cirstea initially fell behind 0-30 and then held steady while saving two break points before finally sealing the win as Sabalenka sent a forehand return long.