2025 US Open: Sorana Cîrstea Claims Stolen WTA Tour Trophy from New York Hotel Room
Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea made a triumphant return to victory at the Tennis in the Land tournament on August 23, 2025, securing her first win since 2021. This win marked her third WTA singles title of her career.
The Tennis in the Land tournament, the last event of the US Open Series, culminated in Cîrstea lifting a trophy, a symbol of her hard-earned success. However, this victory was short-lived, as the trophy was stolen from her hotel room at The Fifty Sonesta in New York during the 2025 US Open.
The theft occurred after Cîrstea's second-round loss in the US Open singles. The American duo of McCartney Kessler and Peyton Stearns defeated Cîrstea and her doubles partner, Anna Kalinskaya, in the opening round of the US Open doubles.
Cîrstea's trophy holds sentimental value for her but has no material worth. The hotel's general manager, Simon Chapman, issued a statement regarding the stolen trophy, expressing the hotel's deep regret and treating the matter with the utmost seriousness.
The director of safety and security at The Fifty Sonesta, a retired NYPD detective, is personally overseeing the investigation of the stolen trophy. Cîrstea has appealed for the return of her stolen trophy through an Instagram story.
Despite the unfortunate incident, Cîrstea's victory at the Tennis in the Land tournament has boosted her rankings. She has risen 41 spots in the WTA rankings, currently at No. 71. This is her best finish in a Grand Slam since the 2023 US Open, where she reached the quarterfinal.
Cîrstea's second-round exit from the US Open singles marked her best finish in a Grand Slam since her quarterfinal appearance at the 2023 US Open. She lost to No. 11 seed Karolina Muchova.
Despite the setback, Cîrstea remains hopeful and determined, continuing to make her mark on the tennis world. The investigation into the stolen trophy is ongoing, and Cîrstea and her fans eagerly await its return.
