Sorana Cirstea and Anna Kalinskaya partnered for the first time at the 2025 Mutua Madrid Open and have now become WTA 1000 doubles champions after a remarkable debut run.
In Sunday`s unseeded final, which was decided in the crucial final moments, Cirstea and Kalinskaya triumphed over Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens with a score of 6-7(10), 6-2, [12-10]. They saved a championship point during the match tie-break.
The match was a back-and-forth battle. Cirstea and Kalinskaya were initially down a set and a break (7-6, 2-0), but they staged a comeback to win the match after 2 hours and 14 minutes of unpredictable tennis.
This victory ends significant droughts for both players in doubles titles. It is Kalinskaya`s fourth WTA doubles title, her first since 2022. Cirstea`s wait was even longer for her sixth doubles title, with her last one dating back to 2019.
This Madrid title marks the first WTA 1000 championship for both Cirstea and Kalinskaya across any category. While this was their debut WTA 1000 doubles final, both have previously reached WTA 1000 singles finals as runners-up (Cirstea in Toronto 2013, Kalinskaya in Dubai 2024).
More to come…
Jasper Hawthorne 
Dominic Ashworth