Sorana Cirstea and Anna Kalinskaya partnered for the very first time at the 2025 Mutua Madrid Open. Remarkably, in their brilliant inaugural tournament as a team, they have emerged as WTA 1000 doubles champions.
In a captivating final on Sunday, contested between two unseeded pairings, the match went down to the wire. Cirstea and Kalinskaya overcame Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens with a final score of 6-7(10), 6-2, [12-10]. They demonstrated nerves of steel by saving a championship point in the crucial match tie-break.
The momentum shifted throughout the encounter. Cirstea and Kalinskaya faced a deficit, finding themselves a set and a break down at 7-6, 2-0. However, they mounted a tenacious comeback, ultimately securing the victory after 2 hours and 14 minutes of unpredictable and hard-fought play.
This triumph marks the end of significant droughts for both players regarding doubles titles. For Kalinskaya, it is her fourth WTA doubles title and her first since 2022. Cirstea`s wait was even longer for her sixth WTA doubles title, with her previous win dating back to 2019.
Significantly, this is the inaugural WTA 1000 title for both Cirstea and Kalinskaya in any category. Although this was their first appearance in a WTA 1000 doubles final, both players have previously reached WTA 1000 finals in singles, finishing as runners-up (Cirstea at Toronto 2013 and Kalinskaya at Dubai 2024).
