UPDATE Romania's Cirstea advances to French Open women's singles round of 16

Romanian tennis player Sorana Cirstea qualified for the round of 16 of the Roland Garros tournament on Friday in Paris, after defeating the Russian Daria Kasatkina, 6-3, 6- 2. Cirstea (31 years old, WTA's 54) sealed her victory in one hour and 24 minutes of playing. Sorana's best result in Paris is a quarter-final in 2009, and since then she has not passed the third round. Sorana had not played a match in the round of 16 at a Grand Slam tournament since 2017, at the Australian Open. The only previous match between Sorana Cirstea and Daria Kasatkina ended with the victory of the Russian, 6-3, 6-1, in 2018, in the second round in Madrid. Cirstea, who has a title in Istanbul and a final in Strasbourg this year, won a cheque of 170,000 euros and 240 WTA points. In the eighth round, Cirstea will face Slovenian Tamara Zidansek (23 years old, WTA's 85), who eliminated Bianca Andreescu (Canada), the 6th favourite, the American Madison Brengle and Katerina Siniakova (Czech Republic). It will be the first match between the two. The match between Ana Bogdan and Spaniard Paula Badosa is also scheduled for Friday, in the third round. AGERPRES (RO-editor: Mihai Tenea, EN - author: Cristina Zaharia)

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