Emma Navarro just steamrolled Belinda Bencic, ending her winning streak and booking her place in the next round of the 2025 Dubai Tennis Championships. Now, she’s facing Sorana Cîrstea, who has a real history with this tournament. Cirstea first played Dubai as an 18-year-old back in 2009, and she’s even called it one of her favorites, saying, “This has to be one of my favorite tournaments on tour, not just because it’s home, but everything they’re trying to offer us.” It’s where she’s five top-15 wins. So, the question is: can she pull off a massive upset and beat her Top 10 opponent?

Emma Navarro vs Sorana Cîrstea: Preview

Emma Navarro saved one set point in the first set en route to defeating the Swiss star Belinda Bencic by 7-6(6),2-6,6-3 in the R32 of the Dubai Tennis Championships. With this victory, she brought an end to Bencic’s six-match winning streak from the Abu Dhabi Open.

Sorana Cîrstea has looked quite impressive in Dubai so far. The Romanian outclassed the number 11, Daria Kasatkina, in the first match by 6-1,6-4. Then in the next match, she outclassed America’s Alycia Parks in a three-set thriller.

Navarro vs Cirstea: Head-to-Head

Emma Navarro and Sorana Cîrstea have never faced each other before on the tour. Hence, their head-to-head record is currently at 0-0.

Prediction: Navarro to win in straight sets

Although Sorana Cîrstea has already clinched two victories in her two previous matches in this tournament, beating Emma Navarro here won’t be easy. The American is a real threat on this surface and we’re expecting her to finish this match in flying colors. If we take a look at the numbers, Navarro is currently ranked 9th in the world and she has a win-loss record of 5-4. On the other hand, Cirstea is ranked 89th at the moment and she has a win-loss record of just 2-3 in 2025.

Now, if we take a glimpse at their playing styles, Sorana Cîrstea is an aggressive baseliner whose game is mainly centered around her quick, flat, and powerful groundstrokes. However, her high-risk style of play at times accumulates high numbers of both winners and unforced errors. She has a strong backhand which can penetrate deep into the court, but her forehand is usually hit very flat. Sorana Cîrstea is also capable of generating sharp angles from both sides. Her long strides help her cover the ground pretty quickly as well.

On the other side, Emma Navarro has a compact style of play. Her high tactical acumen makes her a really special player on the women’s tour. Apart from that, her movements across the courts are also quite exceptional and she’s often seen engaging in the baseline exchanges. Navarro loves stepping up to the net to finish off the points, but her biggest weakness has been a higher number of double fault counts. However, analyzing the overall factors and their form in the last few tournaments, I feel Navarro will win this contest quite comfortably.