Emma Raducanu, Simona Halep and Garbine Muguruza record video messages for fans ahead of inaugural Transylvania Open
The inaugural edition of the Transylvania Open, scheduled to be played between October 25–31 in Cluj-Napoca, features a stacked field. Leading the pack will be former World No. 1 Simona Halep, who will be joined by recently-crowned US Open champion Emma Raducanu and Garbine Muguruza among others.
Muguruza took a last-minute wildcard into the main draw of the WTA 250 tournament. The Spaniard announced her participation in a video message shared by the tournament's official Twitter handle.
Ready for one more surprise?
Garbine Muguruza is coming to Transylvania Open! 🥰
We can’t wait to see you in Cluj, @GarbiMuguruza ⭐️
#TO2021 https://t.co/SwlylEeGqW
Muguruza expressed her excitement at returning to Romania for a WTA Tour event and thanked the organizers for awarding her the wildcard.
"I'm very happy to be coming to Romania again, this time in Cluj-Napoca to play the Transylvania Open," Muguruza said in the video message. "Thank you so much for the wildcard and invitation. I'm so looking forward to be there."
The tournament also shared video messages from Halep and Raducanu on their Twitter handle. Halep said she "couldn't wait" to play in front of her home fans once again.
.@Simona_Halep can’t wait to play again in front of her home fans!
“Looking forward to see you all in Cluj!”
See you soon, Simo! 🤗
#TO2021 https://t.co/oeBj2Yvs3N
Raducanu, who had previously shared her excitement at playing in her father's home country, addressed the fans in Romanian. The tournament page captioned the post: "Can we start the tournament already?".
😍 Emma speaking Romanian
🤩 Emma looking forward to play in Cluj
Can we start the tournament already 🪄
@EmmaRaducanu
#TO2021 https://t.co/BvYs2gLGZV
Garbine Muguruza, Emma Raducanu, Paula Badosa and Elise Mertens eye crucial points as Finals Race heats up
The WTA 250 tournament will be crucial for players looking to gain points in the Race to the WTA Finals. Apart from Garbine Muguruza, who is currently No. 6 in the Race, the likes of Emma Raducanu (15), Paula Badosa (No. 19) and Elise Mertens (No. 10) will also be looking to boost their chances of qualification.
Meanwhile, Simona Halep, seeded third, is almost certainly out of the running for the WTA Finals this year. The season-ending tournament will be played in Guadalajara, Mexico between November 10-17.