Indian Wells 2022: Simona Halep vs Sorana Cirstea preview, head-to-head and prediction | BNP Paribas Open
Match Details
Fixture: (24) Simona Halep vs (26) Sorana Cirstea
Date: 15 March 2022
Tournament: BNP Paribas Open
Round: Fourth (Round of 16)
Venue: Indian Wells, California
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt
Prize money: $8,369,455
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Simona Halep vs Sorana Cirstea preview
24th seed Simona Halep will take on 26th seed Sorana Cirstea in the fourth round of the Indian Wells Open on Tuesday. Halep had a good start to the year, winning the Melbourne Summer Set 1. She followed this up by reaching the last 16 of the Australian Open but lost to Alize Cornet in three sets.
The Romanian then reached the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships with victories over Alison Riske, Elena-Gabriela Ruse and Ons Jabeur. She was beaten by eventual champion Jelena Ostapenko.
The Romanian suffered a first-round exit at the Qatar Open before entering the Indian Wells Open as the 24th seed. She started with a hard-fought win over Ekaterina Alexandrova before beating Coco Gauff in straight sets to reach the last 16.
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@Simona_Halep and @sorana_cirstea will meet for the first time since 2010!πΏ
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Cirstea did not have a very good start to the year, enduring early exits in Melbourne and Adelaide. However, the Romanian had a good run at the Australian Open, reaching the fourth round before losing to Iga Swiatek.
The 31-year-old then made second-round exits in St. Petersburg and Qatar. She reached the semifinals of the Lyon Open thereafter but lost to Dayana Yastremska in three sets.
Cirstea entered the Indian Wells Open as the 26th seed and beat Ajla Tomljanovic in the second round. She then fought back from a set down to beat Anna Kalinskaya and advance to the fourth round of the WTA 1000 event for the first time in her career.
Sorana Cirstea continues her very strong start of the year, beating Anna Kalisnkaya 5-7, 6-1, 6-0 to reach the last 16 in Indian Wells for the first time in her career.
She will face Halep or Gauff on Tuesday.
Simona Halep vs Sorana Cirstea head-to-head
Tuesday's match at Indian Wells will be the fourth meeting between the two Romanians and their first in 12 years. Cirstea leads the head-to-head 2-1. She beat Halep in their first meeting in 2008 before the former World No. 1 defeated her in Marbella two years later. Cirstea won their third encounter in Cincinnati in 2010.
The winner of the fourth-round match will face either Petra Martic or Liudmila Samsonova in the quarterfinals.
Simona Halep vs Sorana Cirstea prediction
Halep will enter the match as the heavy favorite given her current form. The former World No.1 has won 13 out of 16 matches this season.
Halep will look to put pressure on her compatriot right from the get-go. The 30-year-old is one of the finest returners on the WTA tour and will look to take advantage of any deficiencies in Cirstea's serve.
Cirstea might not be able to serve too many aces, but she will depend on her powerful groundstrokes, particularly her forehand, to fetch her points.
Halep, however, is in top form at the moment and should be able to sweep past Cirstea and make the quarterfinals.
Prediction: Simona Halep to win in straight sets