Sorana Cirstea's boyfriend has shared a heartfelt message after the Romanian player's deep
US Open run.
Cirstea had a dream run at the last Grand Slam of the year in New York, reaching the quarter-finals for the first time at Flushing Meadows and for the first time at a major since the 2009 French Open.
The 33-year-old took a shock victory when she ousted fourth seed Elena Rybakina in the third round. She then went on to fly past fifteenth seed Belinda Bencic, defeating the Swiss player in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3 in the Round of 16.
Unfortunately, Cirstea's success at the tournament ended there as she faced tenth seed
Karolina Muchova in the quarter-finals. The Czech player dominated the match, with Cirstea unable to get a game on the board until the second set. Muchova will now progress to the semi-finals after a 6-0, 6-3 victory against the Romanian.
Cirstea's boyfriend shares loving message
Nevertheless, this has been a monumental achievement for Cirstea, something which her boyfriend Tiriac Jr, son of former tennis player Ion Tiriac, expressed on social media after she made it through to the quarter-finals.
"28 years of practices. Over 25 serious injuries. No Xmas, no birthdays or New Year's Eve. Over 1.000.000 km travelled. A life filled with tears, pains, doubt, tough defeats! And then at some point in this journey this smile from the soul makes it all worthwhile!
Congrats @soranacirstea. It's overdue and long deserved!," he wrote on his Instagram story.
This excitement was something Cirstea expressed herself earlier in the tournament when she defeated Rybakina.
"She's number four in the world for a reason and she's also a sweetheart and I think she's wonderful for our tour. I’ve lost twice against her before, and she’s a very good player. It's a great win for me, especially because I played well and I really think I gave everything I had tonight and I deserved this win," she said.