Pegula targets retiring Cîrstea at US Open

VIASPORT is dedicated to women's sport, providing comprehensive coverage of the world's biggest competitions. We follow the leading leagues, tours, and tournaments throughout the season with the latest news, fixtures, results, standings, rankings, transfers, and analysis.

Our football coverage includes competitions such as the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), Women's Super League (WSL), Liga F, Frauen-Bundesliga, Première Ligue, Serie A Femminile, Toppserien, A-Liga, and Damallsvenskan. In tennis, we cover the WTA Tour and all four Grand Slam tournaments, while our golf coverage focuses on the LPGA Tour, the Ladies European Tour (LET), and the sport's major championships.

From domestic leagues to the biggest international events, VIASPORT brings together women's football, tennis, and golf in one dedicated destination.

Pegula grinds past Fernandez

Jessica Pegula refused to let a sluggish start derail her US Open campaign, fighting back to overcome Leylah Fernandez and book her place in the fourth round. The American third seed remains firmly in contention for the World No. 1 ranking - a prize that will sharpen her focus as the tournament progresses.

Cîrstea's remarkable farewell tour

Standing between Pegula and the quarter-finals is Sorana Cîrstea, a 36-year-old Romanian playing the final season of a two-decade career. And what a send-off it has been. Cîrstea captured the Transylvania Open title this year and climbed to a career-best No. 17 in the rankings. Perhaps most impressively, she toppled world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka at the Italian Open.

Across her career, Cîrstea has collected four WTA singles titles and six in doubles, with major quarter-final appearances at the 2009 French Open and the 2023 US Open.

Head-to-head heavily favours Pegula

The numbers paint a bleak picture for the retiring Romanian. Pegula leads their series 3-1, and Cîrstea has not beaten her since their very first encounter back in 2011. That is a long drought to break on one of tennis's biggest stages.

A fitting finale?

Despite battling injuries throughout her career, Cîrstea insists she feels physically strong and is performing at a high level. She has spoken openly about wanting to bow out while still competitive, with plans to explore opportunities beyond tennis. Whether she can spring one last upset remains to be seen - but writing her off would be unwise given the form she has shown this season.