Six-three, six-three
Sorana Cirstea knocked Jasmine Paolini out of the US Open on Friday, winning 6-3, 6-3 to reach the fourth round in New York. The 16th seed beat the 19th seed without dropping serve at a moment that mattered and without letting either set reach a tiebreak.
Cirstea controlled the baseline exchanges and pushed Paolini into defensive positions early in each set. The Italian had scrapped through her opening match against Veronika Erjavec, dropping a set on the way, and never found the level she needed here.
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A veteran still in the draw
Cirstea turned 36 in April. She has been on tour since the 2000s and remains one of the few players in the women’s draw whose career predates almost everyone she faces. Her seeding this fortnight reflects a strong run of hard-court results rather than a reputation.
Paolini leaves after a third-round exit that continues an uneven season at the majors. She had been one of the more consistent seeds on this side of the sheet, and her departure removes another name from a bracket that has been losing them quickly.
What is left of the bottom half
Belinda Bencic, Diana Shnaider and Karolina Muchova all went out on the same stretch of days. Cirstea now joins Taylor Townsend, Emma Navarro and Ann Li among the players still standing who were not supposed to be there.
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