Sorana Cirstea has made a heartfelt appeal for the safe return of the Cleveland Open trophy she won just last week, after it went missing from her hotel room in New York.
The Romanian veteran, ranked No 57 in the world, captured the Tennis in the Land title by defeating American Ann Li in the final, securing the third WTA singles crown of her career.
At 35, it was one of her most meaningful victories - but the memento has now disappeared.
Posting to her followers on social media, Cirstea wrote: “Whoever stole my Cleveland trophy from room 314 at The Fifty Sonesta please give it back!
US Open star Sorana Cirstea won in Cleveland last week
|GETTY
"It has NO material value, just sentimental value! It would be greatly appreciated! Thank you, Sorana.”
The plea highlights how much the win meant to her. There is nothing to suggest anybody associated with the hotel was involved in the trophy going missing.
Cirstea has spent nearly two decades on tour and has long been regarded as one of the game’s hardest-working competitors.
After struggling with injuries and inconsistency earlier in her career, she has enjoyed something of a resurgence in her thirties, reaching the US Open quarter-finals in 2023 and adding to her trophy cabinet in Cleveland.
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Unfortunately, the incident comes in the same week that she bowed out of the US Open.
Cirstea put up a brave fight against 11th seed Karolina Muchova in the second round, recovering from a first-set blowout to force a decider before losing 5-7, 7-6(3), 4-6.
Muchova, a Flushing Meadows semi-finalist in each of the past two years, has since gone on to reach the last 16, where she will face fellow Czech Linda Noskova.
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Sorana Cirstea has pleaded for the return of her trophy on social media
|Elsewhere in the women’s draw, Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk continued her impressive season by advancing to the fourth round, while American Amanda Anisimova battled past Cirstea’s compatriot Jaqueline Cristian in three sets.
Muchova could meet Kostyuk next, with the winner potentially setting up a blockbuster quarter-final against either Naomi Osaka or Coco Gauff.
That match between Osaka and Gauff promises to be one of the highlights of the tournament.
Osaka, back in the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time since the 2021 Australian Open, overcame Daria Kasatkina 6-0, 4-6, 6-3.
Gauff, meanwhile, eased through Magdalena Frech 6-3, 6-1, extending her record of consistency in New York by reaching the fourth round for a fourth straight year.
Their clash will be a nostalgic rematch of their emotional 2019 encounter.
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Karolina Muchova beat Sorana Cirstea at the US Open this week
|REUTERS
Back then, Gauff was just 15 and making her US Open debut, while Osaka was the defending champion.
After winning in straight sets, Osaka consoled a tearful Gauff and encouraged her to address the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd - a moment that cemented both players in fans’ hearts.
Looking ahead to their reunion, Osaka reflected: “I kind of see her as a little sister so it’s kind of cool to be playing her here again. My recollections were that I remember just knowing that she was going to be a really great tennis player, which I was right. Now to be playing her again after six years, I don’t know if that makes me old, but just to be at this point of my life and to be playing her again honestly, for me, feels kind of special.”