WHAT HAPPENED: When Sorana Cirstea made it to the US Open third round last year, it had been 10 years since she made it that far at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
The 30-year-old unseeded Romanian, No. 77 in the world, did not have to wait that long to do it again.
Bravely and boldly going for the huge shot or serve on the crucial points, staying focused and unruffled throughout, and showing plenty of fight and grit, Cirstea knocked out No.9 Johanna Konta 2-6, 7-6, 6-4 in a marathon struggle of nearly three hours on a sun-splashed Thursday.
How closely was the match contested? The statistic sheet was a near standoff.
Cirstea won 109 points, Konta 111. Cirstea had 37 winners, 36 errors and seven aces. None was more important than the last one on her third match point.
Konta had 40 winners, 40 errors, and five aces.
Both players struggled on break point opportunities.
The Romanian went 4 for 12, while Konta was 5 for 14.
Cirstea converted when needed in the last set, grabbing the lead for good at 4-3 on her sixth break point of a 10-minute game. She raced the width of the court and up to the net to flick a spectacular backhand crosscourt winner.
Konta was not able to capitalize in the closing moments. She raced out to a 0-40 advantage in the next game, only to have Cirstea rally to win five consecutive points and the game for 5-3.
The Briton would not crumble. Down 15-40 on her serve in the next game, she saved two match points with a service winner and an ace to hold for 4-5.
In fact, Konta showed her own amount of fight and grit throughout the match. In the tiebreak, she was down 3-6 andfought off three consecutive set points before Cristea again came up with the bold shot, an ace to even the match.
WHAT IT MEANS: When it comes to Grand Slam time, Konta has been Ms. Reliable.
She has been a three-time major semifinalist–2019 French Open, 2016 Australian Open, and 2017 Wimbledon. The 29-year-old has reached three other Grand Slam quarterfinals, including last year at the US Open.
But this was the third early round US Open exit in the last four years, after first-round losses in 2017 and 2018.
MATCH POINT: Cirstea will need to beat No. 20 Karolina Muchova next if she wants to keep her best Grand Slam going since reaching the Australian Open fourth round in 2017.
