Unseeded Romanian player Sorana Cristea upset this year’s Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka 6-4 6-4 in 85 minutes at the Miami Open to reach a semifinal of a WTA 1000 tournament for the first time since 2013, when she finished runner-up to Serena Williams in Toronto.
Cristea beat Caroline Garcia, Karolina Muchova and Marketa Vondrousova en route to the quarter final before scoring her first win over a player ranked in the top 2.
Cristea fired seven aces to just two double faults and hit nine unforced errors. The Romanian player broke Sabalenka in the first game of the opening set. Sabalenka broke back in the eighth game to draw level to 4-4. Cristea broke again in the ninth game to take a 5-4 lead-
Cristea earned an immediate break in the first game of the second set. Sabalenka broke back in the fourth game to draw level to 2-2. Cristea broke for the second time in the seventh game and served out the win from 15-40 down.
In the semifinal Cristea will face the winner of the match between Petra Kvitova and Ekaterina Alexandrova.
“I am a bit speechless. I came out knowing that it’s going to be a really tough match. Aryna hits so hard, so I knew I had to hold my ground.I am very happy with my performance today”, said Cristea.
