Former champion Karolína Plíšková given wild card at Romania's 2026 Transylvania Open

Karolína Plíšková, the winner of the 2024 Transylvania Open 250, received a wild card to participate in the 2026 edition, which will take place from January 31 to February 7, 2026, at BTarena in Cluj-Napoca.

Plíšková is the second former champion present in the main draw, alongside Anastasia Potapova, the 2025 champion. The Czech player expressed her desire to return to Cluj-Napoca, where she won her first major trophy after returning to the WTA circuit.

At present, Plíšková is in the process of recovery following a minor injury. Her participation will depend on how her physical condition evolves up to the start of the tournament. If she is unable to compete at the level required for a WTA 250 tournament, the wild card will be offered to another player.

Two other wild cards were given to Romanian tennis players Ana Bogdan and Miriam Bulgaru. Another wild card went to young player Elena Ruxandra Bertea for the women’s tournament.

“Karolína Plíšková’s return to Cluj honors us. She is a valuable player with a remarkable track record, and the fact that she wants to return to our tournament shows us that we are on the right path. We hope to see her back on court, alongside the other Cluj champion, Anastasia Potapova,” said Patrick Ciorcilă, tournament director of the Transylvania Open, cited by News.ro.

The matches at the Transylvania Open WTA 250 will be played indoors, on two hard courts. Thirty-two players in singles and 16 teams in doubles will compete for the main trophy. The singles main draw will be completed by the four players who received wild cards, four other players who qualify, as well as one player from the alternates list, according to the WTA rankings. The draw for the matches will take place on Friday, January 30, starting at 6:00 PM.

In total, sixteen players will battle on court for a place in the singles main draw. Among those participating are Rebeka Masarova (rank 115), Taylor Townsend (116), Tiantsoa Sarah "Titi" Rakotomanga Rajaonah (118), and others. Of these, two entered the list with wild cards. Both are young players from Romania: Briana Szabo and Carmen Andreea Herea.

For eight days, BTarena in Cluj-Napoca will host 58 women’s tennis matches, played on two completely separate courts, the Center Court and Court 2. Unlike previous editions, which took place over nine days, the 2026 edition will have eight days of play. Thus, on the second day of the tournament, Sunday, February 1, spectators will be able to watch not only qualifying matches, but also five main-draw matches: three singles and two doubles.