Sawt Falasteen - Cirstea downs Li to claim WTA Cleveland crown

Cirstea, ranked 112th as she works her way back from foot surgery last year, came through qualifying and didn't drop a set all week in a confidence-building performance before the US Open starts on Sunday.

Cirstea overcame a trace of late nerves, failing to convert three match points against Li's serve in the ninth game of the second set then fending off a pair of break points before closing it out on her fifth match point in the next game.

She claimed her third career title, and her first since Istanbul in April of 2021.

"It's been a special week for me," Cirstea said. "I really just came here to play some matches with no expectations."

Li, ranked 69th, was seeking a second career title but after battling through three straight three-set matches -- including a semi-final victory over second-seeded Wang Xinyu -- she ran out of steam against Cirstea.

The Romanian broke her serve three times and saved all three break points she faced in the 1hr 24min match.

Both finalists now head to Flushing Meadows where Cirstea, entered in the final Grand Slam of the year under a protected ranking, will open her campaign against Argentina's Solana Sierra.

Li is scheduled to face Slovakia's Rebecca Sramkova.

H.Nasr--SF-PST