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Sorana Cirstea won her first-ever encounter with Stephanie Dubois from Canada. In the second round of the US Open Sorana had to fight for every single point to reach the third round for the first time in New York. It was a very close game with three sets won only by a one-break-difference. Sorana started very well with a first set win, but then the Canadian took an important early lead in the second. Sorana was able to equalise again but eventually still lost the second set. In an extremely nerve-racking third set Sorana eventually was able to make a decisive last break in order to win the set and consequently also the match. Later today Sorana will know who she will meet in the third round, either good friend Caroline Wozniacki or Petra Martic.

 

Early in the first set Sorana made an important break. Dubois was able to rebreak immediately, but was then unable to win her own service game again. All over the first set the Canadian had troubles on her own service, while Sorana was serving very well, hitting multiple aces. At 5-3 Sorana gets a first ball to win the first set on the service of Dubois. The Canadian was able to work it away with some luck and win her own service game. Sorana then had no troubles serving out the first set.

Dubois started serving in the second set which gave her an early lead. Sorana seemed to have lost concentration at the start of the second set as she lost her own service game, looking at a 2-0 lead for the Canadian. Our 19-year-old then wanted to make the rebreak but she started to put too much pressure on herself, trying to make nearly impossible points and losing the third game in a row. What followed was without doubt the longest game of the match. Sorana still had troubles to force her way into the second set and Dubois got multiple break points. Sorana was able to turn the tide though and retains her own service game. It seemed as if this fourth game of the second set lead to an important momentum change as all of a sudden Sorana was able to play her own game and brought Dubois in all kinds of troubles. The Romanian came back to 3-3. Both girls retain their own services games and at 6-5 Sorana has to serve to stay in the set. Sorana became nervous and gave away two break points. Dubois made the service break conversion on the second break point and everyone had to prepare themselves for a third set.

Both girls win their own first service games of the third set although Dubois receives some break points which Sorana works away. At 2-2 it was Sorana who made the first break of the third set, however she needed three break points to do so. Dubois makes the rebreak immediately and what we then saw was fairly uncommon. The next three games were also all break games, which makes a total of 5 breaks in a row. At 5-4 Sorana gets her first match point on her own service. This first one is also the right one and Sorana advances to the third round for the first time in New York, after a match of 146 minutes.