So exciting to see that Sorana Cirstea was playing her first match at Queens on Court One and it’s unreserved seating. PP and I did have tickets for the Andy Murray Arena but we were up on row ZF so the players would have looked very small and PP is not good with heights.

Always so nervous watching one of your favourite players at a tournament for the first time; can I get there okay? Will it be busy? Will I get a seat?

I arrived at Victoria at 930am, 90 minutes from kick off, despite staying in Victoria I got a tube to Barons Court and straight to Queens with my overnight bag. The venue was so close to the tube station and I was through the gate quickly. I headed into Court One, one hour before play, front row, baseline, no coffee, no prawn sandwich for PP. We were not moving!

The match between Sorana Cirstea and Australia’s Maddison Inglis kicked off, our Champ went 0-15 and the heavens open. Rain delay after one point, complete with thunder. The ladies behind me were kind enough to lend me their brolly. One of them was Romanian I learn 🇷🇴 I proudly show her my Miriam Bulgaru T-shirt (she doesn’t know who she is 😢)

Then horror! We must leave the stands! Due to safety because of the lightning!!!! My seat!!! 😢 I stay as close to the stand as possible. I still cannot get a coffee, I dare not. About 20 minutes later we are allowed back in and encouraged to go the same seats.

Three games are completed before another rain delay. This one shorter and after that there are no more interruptions to the 2 hour 30 minutes 6-4 5-7 6-2 win.

Sorana did amazing to recover a double break in set two but could not put the cherry on the cake and lost the set, that must have hurt. She still was getting a little impatient on break points, trying to finish quickly but making life hard yet she used all her professionalism and calm to maximise in the third when it mattered. Inglis played very well, and frustrated our Champ by extending many points but when it came to responding to missed chances, the Romanian was so much more experienced. Never easy to quickly move to grass so soon after that dream French Open run and with rain delays…

Also it is easy to forget what Sorana is doing this year is sensational. She is still human, despite the external calm and the relaxed interviews, it does still matter so much to her, every match. No one is more surprised by how well Sorana is playing than Sorana herself. She will feel more pressure as she explores this incredible level. Her magnificent tennis this year has also taken her to 10th in the season rankings, that’s an unbelievable achievement. Sorana did so well today and credit to Inglis who really pushed her too. Sorana could have won this in two, even from the double break down in the second, nerves and impatience cost her the second set but she was brilliant when she needed to be. It was a pleasure to watch her live again on this her final season. That’s six wins and no defeats when PP and I have watched her this year, hope we can keep that going at Iasi – proud of you Champ ❤️

The second round is Great Britain’s Emma Radacanu, These two last locked horns on February 7th this year, I remember it well because I was there, the Transylvania Open final and it was my birthday, which you can read all about in the February article.

Sorana’s famous home win at Cluj was arguably the cataylst to unlocking this sensational level which has got her into the Top 20 for the first time in her 20 year career and also to 10th in the season rankings.

She was brilliant that week, straight sets all the way to the final, a few matches lasting less than an hour, she was not going to let the British Number and former US Open Champion get in the way of her dreams. She dismantled Radacanu in front of a packed home crowd witnessing the most one sided final since the tournament’s inception 5 years earlier. Emma was playing her first final since the famous New York win and had survived a gruelling semi final the day before, fatigue definitely played a part but take nothing from the razor sharp Sorana who would have stopped a high speed train that day.

Emma has beaten Sorana Cirstea at Wimbledon 5 years ago, which sets this one up nicely as they can both claim a home win, this one to break the tie.

British fans should be enouraged by Emma’s first round win against Anna Blinkova and some lovely tennis in her doubles with Katie Boulter yesterday. Her movement was excellent, Backhand ground strokes crisp and powerful, creating some gorgeous angles. One weakness Sorana may like to explore was her net play. However, if they duel from the baseline, the younger player may have the advantage in the longer exchanges.

Both Romanian and British fans should get excited because this battle will likely deliver what the Cluj final did not, a close match. I can see it going the distance and deep into the third yet I feel when it gets near to the end Sorana’s recent form and experience will just tip the balance

Cannot wait for this one!

Team Sorana of course but lovely to see Emma playing so well again and sporting best wishes to her.

I truly hope the winner of this match goes all the way

Never Surrender Champ ❤️

The Match is scheduled for Thursday and my coach home is Wednesday night. Sorana’s coach who is not with the team this week suggests he can possibly get my friend and I guest tickets. This would mean booking a hotel for another night. The schedule for my second day is a little boring and it’s very overcast so I miss the tennis and take PP to watch The Phantom of the Opera, he loved it.

We hear back from Adrian Cruciat, Sorana’s coach telling us the forecast is dreadful so we decide to go back to Bristol anyway. In the morning we discover Sorana’s team have still got us tickets which is unbelievably kind but we are no longer in London 🙁

It rains all day at Queens and there is no play. I ask Adrian if they can perhaps get us tickets for tomorrow, he passes the message on and taking the risk PP and I book an early coach to London again the next morning. We get our ticket at 10 in the morning, sadly my friend Cristina can no longer make it so it’s just me and the penguin. We stop off at court one to watch the other Romanian, Jaqueline Cristian against out British player Katie Boulter, from the outset Jaqi never really got going and Katie who was excellent dispatched her in two one sided sets.

We then get lost looking for coffee but find somewhere and eventually go to the Andy Murray Arena to find our seats. And they are lovely seats too, South Stand second row tucked in the corner with hand rail from the gate steps for PP to perch on and get a good view.

Sorana’s match is a little disappointing, and very similar to the Cristian Boulter match, where the British player was outstanding and the Romanian uncomfortable. Sorana struggled to get to grips with a lightning start from Emma. It looked like she was trying to get forward but forcing it a bit too much and catching herself out of position. She went down a double break before really picking up the level and fighting right back into it but Emma held strong and took the set. The second set simply got away from our Champ on frustrating afternoon for Sorana. Emma was incredible and as much as seeing Sorana lose hurts and it’s always worse when you are there, I’ll never forget seeing Miriam lose live for the first time at the French Open qualifying second round in 2024 especially after watching her amazing win the day before, it was heartbreaking. But Emma being the winner softened the blow a lot because I am British and very proud of her.

PP and I watched a little of the next match but were getting tired and hungry so we went for a walk and for a coffee and the worst Plant Burger either invented 😯 but the chips were nice.

The highlight of the day was getting to see Katie Boulter again and she beat the World Number Two and former Wimbledon Champion, Elena Rybakina in a three set epic. Katie was Magnificent and the atmosphere was electric. And it is not forgotten that being there for that brilliant match is thanks to Sorana’s kindness and generosity, she was the founder of our Tennis feast and the reason we were able to see this classic performance from Katie.

Sorana announced the next day she was withdrawing from the next two tournaments before Wimbledon due to injury and needing to rest. This explained why she was not at her very best this week but also take nothing away from Emma who was brilliant. This also means we are done for this month, we hope to go to Wimbledon but do not have tickets so may have to join the famous queue but we have the first week off and either way we hope to write about lots of Sorana wins in a couple of weeks – Get Well Soon Champ and thank you for the lovely day yesterday – Never Surrender ❤️