"She's a sweetheart and I think she's wonderful for the tour": Cirstea's kind words for Rybakina after dumping her out of US Open

Romania’s tennis star Sorana Cirstea has heaped praise on the world number four Elena Rybakina after their recent meeting in the US Open 2023.

Cirstea stunned the Kazakhstan’s tennis star in the round of 32 clash with a score of 6-3, 6-7, 6-4.

After the match, the 33-year-old was full of praise for her opponent who she called a ‘great player’ and a ‘sweetheart’.

"She's a great player,” she said. “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. And again, thank you everyone for the support."

The fourth and final Grand Slam of the year is moving towards the business end as players continue their battle to secure the ultimate glory.

Cirstea later on defeated Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic in the round of 16 clash in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-3.

She will now face Czech Republic’s Karolína Muchova in the quarterfinal of the US Open on Tuesday.