Seeded Romanian is victorious in Tashkent

Sorana Cirstea was at the top of her game this week, and that was the reason for her victory in the final of the Tashkent Open.

No. 3 seed Cirstea of Romania came up with a tough but in-style win to end her week perfectly, after she defeated Sabine Lisicki of Germany in a three-setter, 26 64 76(4).
"Breaking her in the first game of the second set was the turning point of the match," said Cirstea, who was also forced to hit a second serve down that match point. "I thought now or never, and just went for it. From then I just went for my strokes. Staying tough in the important moments of the match really helped me, and I hope to continue this form at tournaments in the coming weeks."

"I'll cherish the title in Tashkent forever as it is my first title; I was desperate to take my first title!" Cirstea added. "I've been improving a lot since my first final, and I'm looking for many more titles. I'm also extremely happy to wear the traditional Uzbek dress, which has become the trademark of this event."

"I made some mistakes and missed too many easy shots; it was my first final and I'm happy to have come so far, but I'm sad to lose," No. 4 seed Lisicki said. "Although I might have missed a lot of shots today, in the future these shots will be my weapons. My goal is to be a Top 10 player and I'm going to work even harder."

Results

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Singles - Final
(3) Sorana Cirstea (ROU) d. (4) Sabine Lisicki (GER) 26 64 76(4)