WTA Tashkent Open: Alla Kudryavtseva vs. Sorana Cirstea

Alla Kudryavtseva faces a tough quarter-final clash against Sorana Cirstea on Thursday in the Tashkent Open.

Alla Kudryavtseva was given a hard time by Vitalia Diatchenko in Tashkent on Wednesday, but she eventually overcame her compatriot in three sets. The sixth seed faced just as many break points as Diatchenko, but managed to take more of her chances and clinch a 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 victory.

Next up for Kudryavtseva will be Sorana Cirstea of Romania. Cirstea might not be at her most dangerous right now, but she’s only 21 years-old, and is capable of winning tournaments like this one when she’s at her best. She was ranked just outside of the top twenty in 2009, and there’s a good chance that she’ll eventually climb up the rankings again.

Kudryavtseva has won her last two competitive meetings with Cirstea, leaving her with a 2-1 head to head record against the Romanian. All three of the previous meetings between Kudryavtseva and Cirstea went into three sets, and all of them took place on hard courts. It looks like the fans will be in for a treat in Tashkent on Thursday.