Gauff reaches back-to-back Rome finals with straight-sets win over Cirstea
Coco Gauff (No 4) reached a second straight Rome final with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Sorana Cirstea (No 26), ending a run of three consecutive three-set wins in the Italian capital. It is the American’s seventh WTA 1000 final at 22 – and her second of 2026 after Miami.
Coco Gauff, Rome 2026 | © Foto FITP
Coco Gauff reached her second consecutive Rome WTA 1000 final and the seventh WTA 1000 final of her career with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Romanian No. 26 seed Sorana Cirstea on Campo Centrale, the American world No. 4 winning a match she controlled despite losing her opening service game in straight sets, and ending a run of three consecutive three-set wins along the way.
“The first couple rounds were tough,” Gauff said on court after the match. “Those are the matches you get through. I was one point away from being out of the tournament (against Jovic, editor’s note). Really grateful to be in the final. Each match I think I learned a little bit more from something from each match. I think it showed today.”
The first set turned on a late surge. After Cirstea broke at the start, the players traded comfortable holds through 4-3 on the Romanian’s serve. Then Gauff lifted on return. She broke Cirstea twice in a row, reeling off the closing three games to take the set 6-4.
Gauff’s serve on the rise
The second was scrappier – five breaks across nine games – but the pattern held: when Gauff held she often held to love; when Cirstea was put under pressure, she gave it up fast. Gauff broke early for 0-2, was broken back at 1-2, broke again for 2-4, watched Cirstea claw to 3-4, and then broke straight back. The American served out the match to love.
The numbers reflected the authority of the performance. Gauff landed 79% of first serves and won 74% of points behind them. Cirstea saved just one of six break points faced; Gauff converted five of her six chances. The 22-year-old’s serve, which has been the weakest part of her Rome run, finally held up under pressure on a day she needed it to.
It was her first straight-sets win at this tournament since the second round.
It is Gauff’s 36th career top-10 win, her sixth straight set of WTA 1000 final at the age of 22, and her second WTA 1000 final of 2026 after Miami in March. She has now beaten Cirstea twice in two weeks across the clay swing, having recovered from a set down to win 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 in Madrid just over a week ago.
Gauff will face the winner of three-time Rome champion Iga Świątek and Elina Svitolina in Saturday’s final.
