Riske’s run Down Under reaches end in third-round loss to Cirstea
MELBOURNE, Australia – McMurray native Alison Riske was eliminated from the Australian Open women’s singles tennis tournament Friday by unseeded Sorana Cirstea of Romania, 6-2, 7-6, in a third-round match.
It was the second time in four years that Riske advanced to the third round in Melbourne.
The aggressive Cirstea dominated the first set and showed no signs of a letdown after upsetting 10th-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain on Wednesday.
Riske had a chance to send the match into a third set as she forged a 3-1 lead in the second set and broke Cirstea’s serve on two occasions. However, the Romanian rallied and won the tiebreaker 7-2.
It was the fifth time in her career that Riske, ranked No. 42 in the world, has reached the third round of a Grand Slam tournament.