The Steady Rise of Sorana Cirstea

This article is part of On the Baseline’s 2009 Players to Watch Series. Please join us during the next three weeks for a look at several rising and resurgent stars on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.

In the fast-flying world of the Women’s Tennis Association, Sorana Cirstea is taking her time.

The 18-year-old Romanian has made a steady rise in the rankings over the last three years, and the brunette beauty intends to stay on track for a spot in the world’s Top 10.

The Romanian’s aspirations are modest – her goal is to one day be in the Top 10 – but her results speak for themselves: in the past 24 months, she’s shot up from No. 348 in the world to No. 37 to end the 2008 season. She’s done so by playing low- to mid-level tournaments (compiling one WTA and four ITF singles titles along the way) and earning a 147-62 career mark.

This year, Cirstea, who is the highest-ranked Romanian since Ruxandra Dragomir Ilie (who reached a career-high No. 15 in 1997), won her maiden WTA title at Tashkent on her way to a 41-23 season.

The Bucharest native has claimed wins over many top players, including Patty Schnyder, Anna Chakvetadze, Daniela Hantuchova, Maria Kirilenko and Flavia Pennetta. What might be more telling of Cirstea, however, is who she lost to at the Slams this year: Ana Ivanovic, Victoria Azarenka (twice) and Svetlana Kuznetsova; no player outside the Top 20.

Cirstea stands 5 feet 9 inches tall. She strikes the ball much like her hero, Steffi Graf, stepping into her forehand with authority and moving smoothly across the baseline. She has roundhouse strokes, a two-handed backhand, and a serve that could catapult her into the Top 10 – if not further.

Though she stands three inches shorter, Cirstea looks much like Ivanovic on court, with a dark ponytail bobbing off her head and adidas clothes draped on her body. Cirstea, though, moves with a fluidity that her Serbian foe does not. Her game is that of former American star Jennifer Capriati: she bangs away from the baseline, tracks balls down, and uses an effective, one-handed backhand slice when on the defensive.

Though just 18, it’s difficult to say where Cirstea will one day land. She has the tools to make it big, but is still young enough that she might peter out and end up a perennial mid-major (a la Kirilenko, Ai Sugiyama, etc.).

2009 will only give us a better idea of what may become of Sorana Cirstea – but she’ll do things on her own time, no doubt.

Nick McCarvel is a freelance writer who blogs about tennis at www.tennischatter.blogspot.com.