Coco Gauff takes on Sorana Cîrstea in the Italian Open semifinals. The American has made a habit of coming from behind to win her matches in Rome so far, but faces an inspired Cîrstea in the final four. The Romanian has claimed impressive wins over Aryna Sabalenka, Jeļena Ostapenko, and Linda Nosková en route to the semifinals, and will have her sights set on pulling off another upset on Thursday.
Coco Gauff vs Sorana Cîrstea Match Details
Date: May 14, 2026
Tournament: Italian Open 2026
Round: Semifinals
Venue: Foro Italico, Rome, Italy
Surface: Outdoor Clay
Category: WTA 1000
Live Telecast: Tennis Channel, Sky Sports, TSN
Gauff vs Cîrstea Head-to-Head Record
Gauff has had the upper hand over Cîrstea, leading their head-to-head 3-0. The two players have already met twice this year, with the American winning in Miami and Madrid in three hard-fought sets.
Cîrstea continues to outperform all expectations in her final year as a professional tennis player. She displayed some excellent tennis during her come-from-behind win over Sabalenka in the third round, and then defeated two strong clay-court players in Nosková and Ostapenko without dropping a set.
Aged 36, Cîrstea is enjoying a dream farewell season on the WTA Tour. She has won one title and holds a 27-7 win-loss record.
Gauff has had to do it the hard way in Rome. She has come from a set down in each of her last three matches, showing tenacity and resilience beyond belief.
The 22-year-old’s performance in her 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 win over Mirra Andreeva was nothing short of sublime, and she will now have her sights set on a second-straight Italian Open final.
Gauff vs Cîrstea Prediction and Pick
This will be a fascinating battle between two players who are playing with incredible self-belief right now. Cîrstea is in the form of her life and will no doubt pose a difficult challenge to Gauff on Thursday.
But the resilience Gauff has shown at the Italian Open while dealing with a personal issue has been unbelievable. The ability to win while not playing at her best will give her plenty of confidence going into the French Open.
Cîrstea is on a roll at the moment and will fancy her chances of taking advantage of any fatigue Gauff might be feeling. But the reigning French Open champion has established herself as one of the best players on clay, and it is hard to look past her in this match.
We could see another close battle between the two on Thursday, as we saw in Madrid last month.
Pick – Gauff in three sets.
