Preview: Japan Open: Sorana Cirstea vs. Katie Boulter - prediction, head-to-head, tournament so far

Fresh off a surprise and much-needed first-round win at the Japan Open, Great Britain's Katie Boulter pits her wits against Sorana Cirstea in Wednesday's second-round showdown on Centre Court.

The world number 59 upset second seed Linda Noskova in straight sets to earn a date with her 35-year-old foe, who came from a set down to defeat Moyuka Uchijima first up.

Match preview

When Boulter looked back on her extremely short-lived Wuhan Open campaign, the former British number one may have reflected on one of the worst tennis experiences of her professional career, losing in the first round of qualifying to Viktoriya Tomova after taking a first-set lead.

That day, the world number 115 battered Boulter 6-1 in the deciding set, but the Briton's period of rest and recuperation evidently did her the world of good, as she stunned second seed Noskova 7-6[3] 6-3 in her Japan Open first-round battle.

Squandering three set points in the opener did not faze Boulter, and nor did going a break down to her Czech opponent straight away in the second set, as the 29-year-old flexed her mental fortitude to win six of the final seven games in the one hour and 34-minute contest.

Ruthlessness on break points proved pivotal for the three-time WTA Tour singles winner, who converted five of the seven chances she fashioned on Noskova's serve as she claimed just a third win from her last 11 top-level main-draw matches.

Furthermore, Boulter now has just a second top-20 win under her belt in the 2025 season - registering her first and only other such victory in 2025 over Paula Badosa at Wimbledon - setting her up nicely for a maiden meeting with Cirstea.

Also boasting a trio of singles titles on the WTA Tour - most recently the Tennis in the Land competition back in August - Cirstea's bid for belated consistency since that American success has got off on the right foot in Osaka.

However, the world number 51 had to do it the hard way against Uchijima - one of Boulter's Billie Jean King Cup victims from earlier this year - as the Japanese wild card went a set and a break up in their first-round match before the Romanian roared back.

Cirstea harnessed her captivating comeback powers to triumph 2-6 6-4 6-2 in just under two hours - a feat made even more impressive when considering she was also broken first in the final set - although she has a trend to buck if she is to build on that triumph.

Indeed, the 35-year-old has been knocked out in the second round of each of her last four tournaments - the US Open, Korea Open, China Open and Wuhan Open - although three of those losses were to the esteemed Iga Swiatek and Karolina Muchova (twice).

However, saving just two of the seven break points she faced against Uchijima does not paint a positive picture for Cirstea, who is competing with Boulter for a quarter-final clash against either Marie Bouzkova or Viktorija Golubic.

Tournament so far

Sorana Cirstea:

First round: vs. Moyuka Uchijima 2-6 6-4 6-2

Katie Boulter:

First round: vs. Linda Noskova 7-6[3] 6-3

Head To Head

Boulter and Cirstea will be locking horns on the WTA Tour for the first time on Wednesday, as two right-handers of a similar physical profile square up to one another.

The 5ft 11in Boulter has a marginal physical edge over the 5ft 9in Cirstea, but the latter has won a terrific 71.4% of her service games in 2025 compared to Boulter's 64.1%.

The Briton's overall 51.4% win rate is also inferior to the Romanian's 59.1%, and while the latter has served more aces than double faults this year, Boulter is 95 on the former and a worrying 185 on the latter.

We say: Boulter to win in three sets

In the aftermath of her statement win over Noskova, Boulter highlighted the "great feelings" she experiences on the Japan courts, and the British number three finally looked back to her best in the first round.

The big-serving and aggressive Cirstea will pose another extremely tough test, but also factoring in Boulter's clinical nature and the Romanian's weak defence on break points last time out, we have faith in the Briton to continue her end-of-year resurgence.