A veteran tennis player competing at the U.S. Open in New York City said that the trophy she won last month was stolen from her hotel room.
Sorana Cîrstea won the Tennis in the Land tournament in Cleveland on Aug. 23 and then immediately flew to New York City to play in the last Grand Slam tournament of the year.
On Saturday night, Aug. 30, she reported that her Cleveland trophy was taken from her room at the Fifty Sonesta hotel.
“Whoever stole my Cleveland trophy from room [redacted] at The Fifty Sonesta please give it back! It has NO material value, just sentimental value. It would be grately [sic] appreciated!” she wrote on her Instagram stories.
Cîrstea shared her plea again on Monday, Sept. 1, and mentioned that the tournament organizers were hoping to replace the stolen trophy.
The 35-year-old Women’s Tennis Association Tour veteran won her first singles match at the U.S. Open but lost in the second round to No. 11 seed and last year’s semi-finalist, Karolina Muchova.
She and her doubles partner, Anna Kalinskaya, were eliminated in the first round of the doubles draw the next day.
Cîrstea, who was born and still lives in Romania, earned the third singles title of her career when she beat American Ann Li in Cleveland. Her earlier singles titles came in 2021 and 2008, just two years after she turned pro.
The Fifty Sonesta hotel declined to comment on the incident.
A spokesperson for the New York City Police Department told PEOPLE that there were no complaint reports on file regarding the reported theft.
