Boss, put down the beer and grab a coffee, 'cause I've got news that'll make you proud to be Romanian! Sorana Cîrstea, at 36, has made it to the quarterfinals at Roland Garros! Don't ask me how, but she beat China's Xiyu Wang and did it again, exactly 17 years after her first quarter in 2009! Now she's up against Russia's Mirra Andreeva, a 19-year-old brat who's world No. 8 and everyone's fawning over her. What do you know, Sorana's 36 and ranked 18th, and she's ready to teach her a lesson! Listen to what her first coach, Sorin Erlic, 70, says: "The chances are 50-50, but experience can make the difference." To me, Sorana's like an old BMW, well-maintained - it can still hit 200 km/h, not just these electric scooters!
The match with Andreeva will be the biggest age gap in a Grand Slam quarterfinal in 35 years, since Navratilova faced Capriati at Wimbledon. Oh my! 17 years between them, exactly as long as between Sorana's first time and now! As Mioara said when she got her first iPhone: "Times change, bro." They've met once before, in April at Linz, and Andreeva won in three sets, but on her way to the title. Now it's a different kettle of fish, as the old folks say. Sorana's in top form: semifinal in Rome, world No. 18, her career-best ranking! I say if she stays focused point by point, as Erlic says, and takes care of her serve and return, she can break the Russian. And if she does, in the semis she'll face Elina Svitolina, a Ukrainian that Sorana can beat with one hand tied behind her back, like when I beat Brian at FIFA.
Hey, but let's not forget: Mirra Andreeva is 19, a semifinalist in Paris last year, quarterfinalist this year, and has 33 wins this season - a record on tour. She's like an electric scooter: fast, but inexperienced. Sorana's like an old tractor: doesn't break easily and pulls heavy loads. I can almost hear Uncle Gheorghe from the countryside: "Youth is strong, but old age is wise." Come on, Sorana, show them that at 36 you can still do it! To me, it's like at Fane's terrace: after a beer, all problems are solved. Maybe Brian and Ioana will let me watch the match with them, to see how she sends Andreeva packing!
