Cirstea Loses Wuhan Lead After Disrupted Service Game

Sorana Cirstea faced Hanyo Guo in the first round of the Wuhan tournament in China on October 13, 2026, with the Romanian player losing control after leading by a set and needing a deciding set after a disrupted second-set finish, according to Digi Sport and Eurosport.ro.

Cirstea, who returned after a calf injury that forced her to miss recent WTA events, won the opening set 6-1 in 36 minutes against Guo, a Chinese wildcard player ranked 240th by the WTA, according to Digi Sport.

The Romanian, seeded 12th at Wuhan, built a 4-0 advantage in the second set before Guo recovered and won five consecutive games. Eurosport.ro reported that Cirstea then regained momentum with a break at 5-5 and served for the match.

During that service game, a spectator in the stands shouted for several seconds, affecting the concentration of both players, according to Eurosport.ro. The disruption continued briefly during a point before the situation was handled by arena staff.

Guo responded better after the interruption and broke Cirstea's serve, sending the second set to a tiebreak, Eurosport.ro reported. Cirstea led 6-3 in the tiebreak but failed to convert three match points and eventually lost the set 7-6 (6), according to Digi Sport's live updates.

The match entered the third set with Guo taking an early 2-0 lead. Digi Sport reported that Cirstea reduced the deficit by holding her own serve, making the score 1-2.

Cirstea's return to competition followed a calf injury suffered at the US Open, where she reached the round of 16, according to Digi Sport. The Romanian player missed the WTA 1000 tournaments in Singapore and Beijing because of the medical issue.

The Wuhan event is part of Cirstea's final season before her planned retirement at the end of 2026, according to Digi Sport. The Romanian player is scheduled to have possible appearances at WTA Ningbo from October 19-25, WTA Tokyo from October 26-November 1, and WTA Hong Kong from November 2-8.

Digi Sport also reported that another Romanian player, Gabriela Ruse, withdrew from Wuhan qualifying on October 10 due to medical problems during her match against Yulia Putintseva.