Coached by Maarten Meijs ... Trains at Kim Clijsters Academy ... Introduced to tennis at age 4 by mother, Liliana ... Father's name is Mihai; younger brother's name is Mihnea ... Full name is Sorana Mihaela Cirstea ... Speaks Romanian, English and Spanish and is studying French ... Likes all surfaces; favorite shot is forehand ... Enjoys playing all ball sports, going shopping, watching movies, reading and doing crosswords ... Favorite cities are New York and London ("big cities with lots to do") ... Self-described as ambitious, stubborn and happy ... Most admires Steffi Graf ... Goal is to reach Top 10 ... Also enjoys writing - sometimes writes blog, "Sori's Story", for wtatennis.com.
Winner (1): 2008 - Tashkent.
Finalist (2): 2013 - Toronto; 2007 - Budapest.
Winner (4): 2011 - Dallas (w/Brianti); 2010 - Oeiras (w/Medina Garrigues); 2008 - Fès (w/Pavlyuchenkova), Luxembourg (w/Erakovic).
Finalist (5): 2014 - Tianjin (w/Klepac); 2010 - Budapest (w/Medina Garrigues); 2009 - Barcelona (w/Klepac), Fès (w/Kirilenko); 2008 - New Haven (w/Niculescu).
Romanian Fed Cup Team, 2006, 2008-09, 2013-14, 2017-18; Romanian Olympic Team, 2008, 2012.
2017 - Fifth non-consecutive Top 50 season (finishing ranked No.37); advanced to one SF at Nurnberg (l. Krejcikova); reached five QFs at Istanbul (l. Svitolina), Madrid (l. Mladenovic), Seoul (l. Kumkhum), Beijing (l. Ostapenko) and Linz (l. Rybarikova); posted one R16 appearance at Australian Open (l. Muguruza); made two 3r at Miami (l. Wozniacki) and Wimbledon (l. Muguruza); 2r five times (incl. other two majors); fell in 1r on seven occasions.
2016 - Fifth non-consecutive Top 50 finish, at No.37, up from No.81 in 2016… Also nine Top 100 seasons in past 10 years, including Top 30 finishes in 2012 and 2013… 2017 season highlighted by SF showing at Nürnberg (l. Krejcikova) and QF runs at Istanbul, Madrid, Seoul, Beijing and Linz… Also reached R16 at Australian Open – first time advancing to that stage since 2009 Roland Garros.
2015 - Reached 2r once; fell 1r three times (incl. Australian Open) and in qualifying four times (incl. other three majors).
2014 - Seventh straight Top 100 season; QF three times at Pattaya City (l. to Ka.Pliskova 16 76(3) 60; held 2mp at 61 54), Dubai and Tianjin; reached 3r once (Roland Garros) and 2r seven times (incl. US Open); fell 1r 10 times (incl. other two majors) and in qualifying three times; struggled w/right shoulder injury during season (withdrew from Oeiras, Birmingham and Eastbourne).
2013 - Second Top 30 season (finishing No.22); runner-up at Toronto (l. to S.Williams in final); SF twice at Pattaya City (l. to Kirilenko) and Stanford (l. to Cibulkova); QF twice at Birmingham and Washington DC; reached 4r once, 3r five times (incl. Australian Open and Roland Garros) and 2r seven times (incl. other two majors); fell 1r eight times; set career-high No.21 on August 12 (after Toronto); struggled with abdominal strain during second half of season (withdrew from Cincinnati, retired in New Haven 1r and withdrew from Luxembourg).
2012 - First Top 30 season (finishing No.27); SF four times at Pattaya City (l. to Kirilenko), Barcelona (l. to Cibulkova), Stanford (l. to S.Williams) and Guangzhou (l. to Robson); QF twice at Hobart (l. to Kerber 60 36 75; held 2mp at 5-3 third set) and Dallas; reached 3r three times (incl. Australian Open and Wimbledon) and 2r eight times (incl. US Open); fell 1r 10 times (incl. Roland Garros, Olympics and Miami - l. to Watson 63 36 76(4); held 2mp at 5-4 third set) and in qualifying once.
2011 - Another Top 100 season; QF twice at Tashkent and Linz; reached 3r once (Roland Garros) and 2r seven times (incl. Australian Open); fell 1r six times (incl. other two majors) and in qualifying four times; won one WTA doubles title; won three singles titles on ITF Circuit.
2010 - Another Top 100 season; SF at Oeiras (l. to Parra Santonja); QF twice at Istanbul and Copenhagen; reached 2r six times (incl. Australian Open and Eastbourne - l. to Kuznetsova 46 76(6) 76(4); held mp at 6-5 in second set tie-break); fell 1r 14 times (incl. other three majors) and in qualifying three times; won one WTA doubles title.
2009 - Another Top 50 season; SF twice at Marbella (l. to Suárez Navarro) and Los Angeles (l. to Stosur); QF twice at Oeiras and Roland Garros (first Grand Slam QF; l. to Stosur); reached 3r three times (incl. Wimbledon, US Open) and 2r three times (incl. Bastad - l. to Dulko 63 46 76(5); held 4mp in third set - 3mp at 5-3, 1mp at 5-4); fell 1r 14 times (incl. Australian Open).
2008 - First Top 50 season (finishing No.37); won first WTA title at Tashkent (d. Lisicki in final); SF at Luxembourg (l. to Dementieva); QF four times at Acapulco (l. to Kanepi 62 46 76(6); held 2mp at 6-4 in tie-break), Fès, 's-Hertogenbosch and New Haven; reached 3r once and 2r seven times (incl. Roland Garros, Wimbledon and US Open); fell 1r four times (incl. Australian Open and Olympics) and in qualifying twice; made Top 100 debut on February 25 (rose from No.107 to No.100) and Top 50 debut on September 8 (after US Open; rose from No.53 to No.45); won first two WTA doubles titles; won one doubles title on ITF Circuit.
2007 - Runner-up at Budapest (l. to Dulko in final); first Romanian to reach a WTA final since Dragomir Ilie in 2000 ('s-Hertogenbosch); SF at Bali (l. to Hantuchova); reached 2r once; fell 1r three times and in qualifying three times (incl. Wimbledon, US Open); won one singles title and two doubles titles on ITF Circuit.
2006 - Played first WTA main draw at Stockholm, falling 1r (l. to Kanepi); fell in qualifying once; won two singles titles and two doubles titles on ITF Circuit.
2005 - Won one singles title and two doubles titles on ITF Circuit.
2004 - Played first events of career on ITF Circuit, winning two doubles titles.
Vote: Tulle, pleats, colorblocks - what's your favorite US Open fashion?
The Romanian gets her first top 5 win in over four years.
Serena Williams takes on Sorana Cirstea in the final of the Rogers Cup.