Tennis: Romania's Cirstea win TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul

ANKARA

Romanian tennis player Sorana Cirstea on Sunday was crowned the TEB BNP Paribas Tennis Championship champion in Istanbul.

Cirstea, 31, beat Belgium's Elise Mertens 2-0 in 6-1 and 7-6 sets in the final at the Istanbul Tennis Center in the Turkish metropolis.

This was her second WTA singles title, as Cirstea bagged her maiden WTA title in singles in 2008 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

"I’m very, very happy for this trophy," Cirstea said after her victory.

"I did not expect it, to be honest, so probably I’m twice as glad!" she added.

Runner-up Mertens was the no. 1 seed in the tournament.

Among those watching the hard-fought final were Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoglu, Turkey’s youth and sports minister.​​​​​​​