Sorana Cîrstea went out on Wednesday, 21 October, of the WTA 500 in Ningbo. The eighth seed lost in the round of 16 to Czech Sara Bejlek, ranked 32, 7–6(3), 6–4, after almost two hours. This is an exit from the tournament, not a retirement from tennis.

Bejlek goes through to the quarter-finals. At Wimbledon, on 30 June, Cîrstea had beaten her in the first round, 6–1, 7–6(6). The head-to-head is now 1–1. A match on grass does not decide a match on hard courts in Ningbo.

For this run the Romanian receives 17,795 dollars and 60 WTA points. The tournament, 19–25 October, has a 1.2 million dollar purse; the champion takes 500 points and 185,500 dollars. The defending champion is Elena Rybakina. Those figures belong to this event, not to a career closed today.

José Morgado notes that Tokyo and Hong Kong remain on her calendar this season. G4 picks up the remark. That does not turn Wednesday’s defeat into a farewell ceremony. She did not retire on court.

Tennis.com confirms the score and the basic stats: one ace for Cîrstea, three for Bejlek. The WTA also posted a clip: Bejlek saved two set points. Match details remain those of a round of 16, not of an ending.

Cîrstea leaves Ningbo beaten. She still has tournaments on the calendar. An elimination, not a retirement.

Image: Cz4523, Ningbo Yinzhou Tennis Center, 25 October 2025, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; the venue, not a photograph of the 21 October 2026 match.

Sources consulted: Sorana Cirstea out in the Ningbo WTA round of 16 after a two-hour match - G4Media; Cirstea vs Bejlek, round 2 WTA Ningbo - Tennis.com, 21 October 2026.