Sorana Cîrstea, eliminated in the first round of the WTA 500 tournament in Tokyo by a player who came through qualifying

Sorana Cîrstea was defeated by Australian Maya Joint, 3-6, 6-7 (4), in a match that lasted one hour and 32 minutes. Joint handled the decisive moments better and prevailed after a closely contested second set that ended in a tie-break.

In the first set, the Australian consistently put pressure on the Romanian’s serve, particularly through effective returns and by attacking the second serve. Joint had a first-serve percentage of 78%, compared with 61% for Cîrstea.

Cîrstea improved her game in the second set, became more aggressive from the baseline, and won 11 consecutive points. The Romanian sent the set to a tie-break, but Joint controlled the finish and prevailed 7-4.

The Australian hit 23 winners, compared with 17 for Sorana Cîrstea, but she also made more unforced errors: 27, compared with 24. Joint also defeated the Romanian in Toronto in August, after Cîrstea had won their first meeting at Indian Wells in 2025.