Emma Raducanu vs. Sorana Cîrstea: Everything You Need to Know for the Transylvania Open Final

The 2026 Transylvania Open reaches its climax on Saturday, 7 February 2026, with a blockbuster final featuring top seed Emma Raducanu and local favourite Sorana Cîrstea. This championship match represents a significant milestone for both athletes: it is Raducanu’s first final since her historic 2021 US Open triumph and a high-stakes “homecoming” for the British No. 1, whose father was born in Bucharest.

Emma Raducanu has navigated a challenging week to reach her second career WTA final. She secured her spot after a “brutal” semi-final victory over Oleksandra Oliynykova, winning 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 in a match that lasted nearly three hours. Prior to that, she had been in clinical form, winning her first three matches against Greet Minnen, Kaja Juvan, and Maja Chwalinska without dropping a set.

Sorana Cîrstea, the tournament’s 3rd seed, has been even more dominant on home soil. The 35-year-old Romanian veteran, who has hinted at retirement following this season, has not dropped a single set all week. She dismantled qualifier Daria Snigur 6-0, 6-3 in just 56 minutes in her semi-final, following a major quarter-final victory over defending champion Anastasia Potapova.

This is only the second professional meeting between the two players. Their first encounter took place at Wimbledon 2021, where Raducanu won 6-3, 7-5 during her breakout fourth-round run.

Raducanu enters as the narrow favorite based on ranking and their previous head-to-head encounter, but physical recovery will be her biggest hurdle after her exhausting semi-final. Meanwhile, Cîrstea holds the advantage in momentum and local support, playing in front of a passionate home crowd at the BT Arena. For Raducanu, a win would confirm her return as a major force on the WTA Tour; for Cîrstea, it would be a fairytale victory in the twilight of her career.