NEED TO KNOW
- Sorana Cîrstea reported that the trophy she won at a warm-up tournament in Cleveland before the U.S. Open had been stolen from her hotel room
- The 35-year-old veteran of the WTA Tour wrote on Instagram: “It has NO material value, just sentimental value.”
- The Fifty Sonesta in New York City, where Cîrstea is staying during the Open, declined to comment on the matter
A veteran tennis player competing at the U.S. Open in New York City reported that the trophy she won last month had been stolen from her hotel room.
Sorana Cîrstea won the Tennis in the Land tournament in Cleveland on Aug. 23, then immediately flew to New York City to compete in the fourth and final grand slam tournament of the year.
On Saturday night, Aug. 30, she reported that the trophy she won at that tournament had been stolen from her hotel room at the Fifty Sonesta.
“Whoever stole my Cleveland trophy from room [redacted] at The Fifty Sonesta please give it back! It has NO material value, just sentimental value. It would be grately [sic] appreciated!” she wrote in a post shared on her Instagram stories.
Cîrstea reposted her plea on Monday, Sept. 1, while also revealing that the organizers of the tournament were hoping to replace the stolen hardware.
The 35-year-old veteran of the Women’s Tennis Association Tour won her opening singles match but then bowed out in the second round of the U.S. Open, falling to No. 11 seed and last year’s semi-finalist Karolina Muchova.
She and her doubles partner Anna Kalinskaya were then eliminated in the first round of the doubles draw the following day.
Cîrstea, who was born and still resides in Romania, collected the third singles title of her career with her victory over American Ann Li in Cleveland.
Her previous singles titles came in 2021 and 2008, which at the time was just two years after the Romanian turned pro.
The Fifty Sonesta declined to comment on the matter.
A spokesperson for the New York City Police Department told PEOPLE that there were no complaint reports on file when provided with information about the reported theft.