The Australian Open will be a distant memory as of next week with the Transylvania Open next on the slate between 1 and 7 February 2026 at BT Arena in Cluj-Napoca.
A common stop on the way towards the Middle Eastern swing, the Romanian tournament attracts many top names and does so again with Emma Raducanu, Donna Vekic, Sorana Cirstea in her last dance, as well as Jaqueline Cristian, Wang Xinyu and Karolina Pliskova.
Raducanu, on paper, for the WTA Cluj 2026 tournament was an obvious choice given that she lost early in Australia and is of Romanian heritage, so it will almost be a homecoming and a good chance for wins. Anastasia Potapova defeated Lucia Bronzetti in the final last year, 4–6, 6–1, 6–2. Who leaves the Australian Open and heads towards the Middle East in the best shape?
Transylvania Open 2026 Schedule and Results
Final
| Date/Time | Player 1 | v | Player 2 | Result |
| 7-2 14:30 | Emma Raducanu | v | Sorana Cirstea | 0-6, 2-6 |
Semi-Finals
| Date/Time | Player 1 | v | Player 2 | Result |
| 6-2 16:00 | Emma Raducanu | v | Oleksandra Oliynykova | 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 |
| 6-2 17:30 | Sorana Cirstea | v | Daria Snigur | 6-0, 6-3 |
Quarter-Finals
| Date/Time | Player 1 | v | Player 2 | Result |
| 5-2 15:00 | Emma Raducanu | v | Maya Chwalinska | 6-0, 6-4 |
| 5-2 13:00 | Xinyu Wang | v | Oleksandra Oliynykova | 4-6, 4-6 |
| 5-2 17:00 | Anastasia Potapova | v | Sorana Cirstea | 5-7, 4-6 |
| 5-2 18:30 | Yue Yuan | v | Daria Snigur | 6-4, 0-6, 5-7 |
Second Round
| Date/Time | Player 1 | v | Player 2 | Result |
| 4-2 18:30 | Emma Raducanu | v | Kaja Juvan | 7-5, 6-1 |
| 4-2 11:30 | Maya Chwalinska | v | Olga Danilovic | 6-1, 1-6, 6-2 |
| 4-2 10:00 | Wang Xinyu | v | Rebeka Masarova | 6-4, 6-2 |
| 3-2 10:10 | Oleksandra Oliynykova | v | Ana Bondar | 6-4, 6-4 |
| 4-2 11:30 | Anastasia Potapova | v | Anastasia Zakharova | 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 |
| 4-2 17:00 | Tamara Zidansek | v | Sorana Cirstea | 6-1, 6-0 |
| 3-2 11:30 | Yue Yuan | v | Sara Sorribes Tormo | 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 |
| Daria Snigur | v | Jaqueline Cristian | 6-1, 6-0 |
First Round
| Date/Time | Player 1 | v | Player 2 | Result |
| 2-2 17:30 | Emma Raducanu | v | Greet Minnen | 6-0, 6-4 |
| 02-02 10:05 | Elina-Ruxandra Bertea | v | Kaja Juvan | 3-6, 4-6 |
| 2-2 14:30 | Ana Bogdan | v | Maya Chwalinska | 3-6, 2-6 |
| 2-2 12:15 | Miriam Bulgaru | v | Olga Danilovic | 4-6, 3-6 |
| 3-2 11:30 | Xinyu Wang | v | Kaitlin Quevedo | 6-3, 6-0 |
| 3-2 14:30 | Elena-Gabriela Ruse | v | Rebeka Masarova | 1-6, 6-4, 2-6 |
| 1-2 18:30 | Mayar Sherif | v | Oleksandra Oliynykova | 7-6, 4-6, 4-6 |
| 1-2 17:00 | Ella Seidel | v | Anna Bondar | 6-4, 6-7, 0-6 |
| 3-2 10:00 | Anastasia Potapova | v | Lucia Bronzetti | 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 |
| 2-2 10:10 | Karolína Plíšková | v | Anastasia Zakharova | 6-4, 2-6, 2-6 |
| 2-2 12:15 | Veronika Erjavec | v | Tamara Zidansek | 1-6, 4-6 |
| 2-2 18:30 | Kamilla Rakhimova | v | Sorana Cîrstea | 4-6, 4-6 |
| 1-2 14:30 | Antonia Ruzic | v | Yue Yuan | 4-6, 7-5, 2-6 |
| 1-2 16:00 | Sara Sorribes Tormo | v | Viktoriya Tomova | 6-2, 7-5 |
| 3-2 13:00 | Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah | v | Daria Snigur | 3-6, 3-6 |
| 3-2 17:00 | Lucrezia Stefanini | v | Jaqueline Cristian | 2-6, 6-2, 5-7 |
Transylvania Open 2026 Player Entry List
| # | Player Name | Country | Ranking |
| 1 | Emma Raducanu | GBR | 29 |
| 2 | Jaqueline Cristian | ROU | 38 |
| 3 | Sorana Cîrstea | ROU | 41 |
| 4 | Anastasia Potapova | AUT | 55 |
| 5 | Xinyu Wang | CHN | 57 |
| 6 | Olga Danilovic | SRB | 67 |
| 7 | Donna Vekic | CRO | 69 |
| 8 | Antonia Ružić | CRO | 70 |
| 9 | Anna Bondar | HUN | 73 |
| 10 | Varvara Gracheva | FRA | 75 |
| 11 | Camila Osorio | COL | 76 |
| 12 | Elisabetta Cocciaretto | ITA | 81 |
| 13 | Petra Marcinko | CRO | 82 |
| 14 | Ella Seidel | GER | 84 |
| 15 | Elena-Gabriela Ruse | ROU | 85 |
| 16 | Sara Sorribes Tormo | ESP | 85 |
| 17 | Oleksandra Oliynykova | UKR | 90 |
| 18 | Kamilla Rakhimova | UZB | 91 |
| 19 | Kaja Juvan | SLO | 99 |
| 20 | Veronika Erjavec | SLO | 103 |
| 21 | Anastasia Zakharova | — | 104 |
| 22 | Lucia Bronzetti | ITA | 105 |
| 23 | Mayar Sherif | EGY | 107 |
Draw and Seedings
| Player 1 | v | Player 2 |
| Emma Raducanu | v | Greet Minnen |
| Elina-Ruxandra Bertea | v | Kaja Juvan |
| Ana Bogdan | v | Miriam Bulgaru |
| Olga Danilovic | v | Qualifier |
| Xinyu Wang | v | Qualifier |
| Elena-Gabriela Ruse | v | Rebeka Masarova |
| Mayar Sherif | v | Oleksandra Oliynykova |
| Eva Seidel | v | Anna Bondar |
| Anastasia Potapova | v | Lucia Bronzetti |
| Karolína Plíšková | v | Anastasia Zakharova |
| Veronika Erjavec | v | Qualifier |
| Kamilla Rakhimova | v | Sorana Cîrstea |
| Anna Ruzic | v | Yue Yuan |
| Sara Sorribes Tormo | v | Viktoriya Tomova |
| Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah | v | Qualifier |
| Camila Osorio | v | Jaqueline Cristian |
Predictions
Samuel Gill, Head Editor for TennisUpToDate.com, sees Anastasia Potapova as the champion.
This is the kind of event that won't suit the likes of Emma Raducanu as a top seed, and I expect an early defeat here. But it will suit the likes of Anastasia Potapova, who has won this before.
Xinyu Wang is also in some real form, so watch out on that end for her. While I also see the goods for Jaqueline Cristian, who made her name as such in this event for continuing every year and has done so ever since, to dress like a vampire whenever she walks onto the court to lean into it being in Transylvania. It is always a superb spectacle, and I expect one of those three to be crowned the winner.
*** Anastasia Potapova
** Xinyu Wang
* Jaqueline Cristian
Lucas Michael, Editor for TennisUpToDate.com, sees a perfect homecoming for Sorana Cirstea.
The Transylvania Open is the perfect time for players to bounce back from a poor Australian Open or continue the positive momentum as tennis leaves Down Under for the first time this season.
Once again, there is expected to be fierce competition in Romania, and similar to the event in Hobart, Emma Raducanu will head the field as the number one seed. It ended in bitter disappointment in Tasmania, and her injury woes have seen her not have the brightest of starts to the 2026 tennis season, making this event crucial to finally getting some reassuring form.
In the first major event, the British number one was defeated by last year’s champion Anastasia Potapova, who will be hunting for more glory in Eastern Europe. The home crowd will also have loads to cheer about, with them pushing their home heroes Sorana Cirstea, Jaqueline Cristian and Elena Gabriella-Ruse.
The standout for me is Cirstea, who made the headlines after a frosty encounter with Naomi Osaka at the net in Melbourne. She will be pumped to return to her home country, and with the crowd’s support I believe that it will push her over the line for glory.
*** Sorana Cirstea
** Emma Raducanu, Anastasia Potapova
* Jaqueline Cristian, Elena Gabriela-Ruse, Donna Vekic
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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